Simple obvious fact: most everyday men are not naturally able to carry on a flowing, unrehearsed conversation with an unfamiliar woman. Many guys need to rehearse a couple lines prior to even opening. Nothing wrong with that. However, when the canned stuff runs dry and you're not done with the conversation is where the conversation, in many cases, nosedives. The typical, everyday "so... [what do you like to do][tell me about yourself][what do you do for a living]" line gets thrown out and rarely gets you an answer worth hearing. It's awkward, both people look at their feet, and grin and both think to themselves "Wow, that was a dumb line". Lets be honest, reverse the roles, you hear that line and you're already reaching for the ejection seat. It is just another boring person.
So conquer that with my question that's not a question.
"So, tell me about yourself. Actually you know what scratch that. Give me the 'Myspace, About Me' (give her the quote-quote with your fingers). Ya know, just a quick run down about you because honestly if we don't work out I don't wanna run into you at the store with some other chick, walk away with her and be like yeah that chick likes pistachio ice cream. I would just rather not remember you like that. So keep it simple" *BIG SMILE*.
This line obviously does multiple things. One, it will fire your conversation right back up and you are no longer that everyday "soo.. (awkward silence)" person. Two, you don't come across needy, or for that matter, interested. You come across very confident. You are demanding in a specific way of what you want and nothing more. You put her on the spot and make her think of what she needs to tell you and most the time she's racking her brain to impress you. You are in control. Three, you show that you will be with another chick later. Four, Mention of Myspace will make her laugh and smile. Humor is always the sure fire way to get a girls attention. And last but not least, Five, Pistachio ice cream will always get a reaction. ALWAYS.
This statement/question is not necessarily to get to know her, you're now someone with a plethora of conversation options. You can run wild with the subject after that.