Dating 101: How to get beyond the first date

Dating 101
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Most readers have been counseled their whole lives to avoid the rebound relationship. The fact, however, is that the older you get, the less time you have to waste if you want a family and marriage. Falling in love after a break up can be the best thing that can happen for a broken heart. My philosophy is, why wait? Even if you go out and blunder in your first few tries, you will learn from your mistakes and may just luck out and find someone really great. Love heals pain. Why be miserable and lonely if you don’t have to be? The next one doesn’t have to be a rebound love. It can be the one.
If you want a long-lasting, committed relationship, you have to get beyond the first date—for some that’s easier said than done. And if you want to get beyond the first date, you have to be likeable. It is really that simple. The goal of the first date should be to get to know the other person and secure a second date, but most importantly, you can’t do either unless you are likeable. The following list of verbal and non-verbal likeability factors will help you remember the qualities that you need to be likeable on your first date so you can succeed in securing the many more dates needed for a long-term relationship.
Verbal Likeability Factors
1. Listen - Active listening is more powerful than passive listening. Active listening means engaging, paraphrasing, nodding, smiling, interjecting sounds of agreement or emotion and responding to the topic at hand. Paraphrasing shows an understanding that you are listening. The greatest failure to communicate is caused by silence. Silence can be taken as a sign of indifference, unwillingness to commit, or lack of acceptance.
2. Interest - Showing genuine interest in the other person involves asking questions relevant to the topic to draw out more information about their life and feelings. We are all essentially ego driven and are attracted to those who express interest in us. Using a person’s name in a conversation is a good first step in showing genuine interest. It may sound simplistic, but hearing your own name grabs your attention and indicates the person has taken the time to remember and is speaking directly to you. As Dale Carnegie reminds us in “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” nothing is sweeter to a person’s ears than the sound of their own name.
3. Attitude - People are attracted to optimists. Optimists are flexible, inventive and even playful in responding to challenging situations. They are able to handle assertive behavior in others and have an attitude of openness to and curiosity about new ideas, new experiences, and new possibilities in life. If feelings of anxiety or insecurity do present themselves, optimists aren’t intimidated or overwhelmed, since in their eyes, accepting, managing, and rising above them are all attainable. Quite simply put, people naturally want to be around optimists more than pessimists.
4. Self-disclosure - Self-disclosure means sharing your experiences, thoughts, and goals with another person. The more self-disclosing you are to the other person, the more likely it is that the person will like you. The more you share with another person, the more they will trust to share with you. If someone is self-disclosing and you do not reciprocate, they will feel over exposed and vulnerable. Conversations should be reciprocal with self-disclosure after each topic. Remember, the first date is a time for both of you to get to know more about each other.
Non-Verbal Likeability Factors
1. Posture - Physical attraction is just that—physical. An attractive physique is reflected through good posture and by keeping fit. Someone who makes the effort to stay fit shows that they plan to remain attractive throughout their entire life. A likable posture is one that is relaxed, erect and well balanced, with a purposeful, non-aggressive walk, indicating confidence, grace and ease with one’s self.
2. Dress - Dressing in well-fitting, stylish and appropriate clothes is essential for dating. Women care about fashion and will notice what men are wearing. If you don’t have a clue about current fashion, notice what other attractive people are wearing and simply copy them. Shopping is necessary, and your wardrobe should reflect that you are current, modern and not stuck in your ways.
3. Touch - Appropriate touch shows affection, confidence and warmth. Placing your hand on the other person’s back while walking, or a light touch on their arm, lets them know you are drawn to them and care about their well being.
4. Eye contact - Eye contact shows that you are interested in the person and find them appealing. Smiling with your eyes shows genuine warmth, openness to communication, involvement and feedback. People tend to avoid eye contact when they are not interested in interacting with someone.
5. Smile - Nothing says I like you and want to be near you more effectively than an engaging smile. Smiling while you talk shows that you are enjoying your present company and have the ability to enjoy the humorous aspects of life. People are drawn to humor and optimism and seek to be around someone who has curiosity for new ideas and new possibilities in life.
Being likeable also includes being a good conversationalist. Dating should not be work. No matter how attractive you are, if the date feels like work, there won’t be a second date. Initiating a conversation and working to keep it flowing takes effort. Even the most natural extroverts will tire of always having to be the initiator. Those who are naturally outgoing have learned to take the conversation responsibility and will usually throw out a new topic when there is a stall in the discourse. Introverts often rely on this and can become lazy, always depending on the extroverts to handle this role. It is important that both parties evenly assume the responsibility, so that the conversation is balanced. If you are a natural introvert, you must study the following conversation starters and put yourself out there like never before, or you will wear your date out on the first date and never secure a second.
Dating Topics: All topics on a first date should remain positive.
• Talk about things you are good at doing
• Express confidence in your abilities and skills
• Talk about dreams, accomplishments and future goals
• Learn their dreams and goals for the future and plug them together
• Share past memorable, life-changing moments
• Share a significant experience
• Share something you are looking forward to doing
• Discuss favorite places, hobbies, and pastimes
• Talk about concerts, events or sports you enjoy
• Emphasize the importance of being a loving, caring person
Safe Topics to Discuss on a First Date
• Vacations
• Career
• College
• Family
• Hobbies
Topics to Save for Future Dates
• Politics
• Religion
• Money
• Previous Relationships
Examples of Conversation Starters: (Interject your own answers after each of these)
Do you get much vacation time?
Where do you like to go?
Do you travel much?
Where have you been?
Do you ski/ like the beach, etc.?
Where is your dream place to live?
What is/are your goal(s) for your future?
What is your position at work?
What career path did you take to get this position?
Where would you like to go from here?
What is your ultimate career/family goal?
What was your mother/father’s career?
Previous generations/ Family history
Where did you grow up?
Where else have you lived?
Which place was your favorite?
How did you decide to go to your college?
Were you happy with your decision?
What is your family heritage?
How did they end up here?
Were you close with your grandparents? Parents?
What did they do for work?
What were your family traditions over the holidays?
What do you like to do for fitness?
When is the last time you participated in your sport?
Did you play sports growing up?
Are you a sports fan?
When the last time you saw a game?
Dating Dos and Don’ts
The responsibility for chivalrous behavior falls squarely on the shoulders of the man during the first few dates, but once the relationship develops, it should even out and the woman must reciprocate all the sweet things he did for her at the beginning.
Who Pays?
Women don’t have to offer to pay on the first date, but should offer on the second or third, depending on the equality of salaries. If he makes four times more than she does, then she should offer every fourth date. If they make equal amounts, then she should offer to pay half the time. It is only fair.
Don’t Have Sex Too Soon
Casual sex was one thing at age 24, but it is quite another thing at 44. You can find a casual lover for emergencies but don’t sleep with someone you want to pursue seriously until he really starts to fall for you. It can ruin the relationship before it even gets started. Men want to run away after sex if they aren’t emotionally hooked. And for many women to truly enjoy sex, they need to feel an emotional connection. It is much better to wait and allow time to get to know each other and establish the emotional connection first. Then if the sex isn’t perfect, you’ll have enough feelings for each other to want to improve. Otherwise, you are both rated on pure sexual technical skills, and if it doesn’t live up to each other’s standards, you’ve blown it.
Three Date Rule
People should go on at least three dates. Alcohol plays a significant role in first dates, and it isn’t fair to judge someone after one nervous encounter. A date should not be a test. It should be a way to get to know someone and get the other person to like you. You can decide later if you want to pursue it further, but the date should bring out the best in your partner by making them feel wanted. A date should be a measure, revealing if this is a good person and whether you would like to have a second date. Don’t think too far ahead. After the second date, think, would I like to have a third date, etc.
Women Don’t Want Jerks
It is a myth that women want men who treat them poorly. Women want kind and confident, with a hint of mystery. They want chivalry, but they don’t want needy. Biologically, women have always needed men who could protect and provide. It is instinctual. But in today’s society, this translates into wealth or an attraction to alpha males. Women are similar to men in the fact that both like a bit of a chase and challenge, but they also don’t want to feel like they are being played. A man should express interest but attempt not to call too often, just often enough to keep her intrigued.
How to Break It Off
The right way to decline a second date is to say you don’t think there is enough chemistry to pursue it. This prevents any rejection from becoming personal—after all, what can he say to you if you aren’t feeling the chemistry? Never burn bridges, keep the bad energy to a minimum, and always walk the high ground.
First Date Checklist
1. Clean car/apartment
2. Agenda/plan
3. Look sensational and dress appropriately in modern, well-fitting clothes
4. Hygiene immaculate and smell great: Brush your teeth and your tongue
5. Positive and optimistic attitude
6. Arrive on time
Attractive Behavior
o We want to spend time with people who are fun and make us laugh
o Less opinions, more conversation
o Less complaints, more appreciation
o Great listening and warm affection
o Exhibit confidence and leadership
o Care about safety
o Complimentary
o Little gifts, notes or phone calls
o Active and proud interest in career, friends, activities and desires
o Call when you say you will
o Display good manners
Dating 101 Summary
A person will sum you up in the first three seconds of meeting you and make sweeping judgments about you based entirely upon your looks. Look sensational on a first date. Wear something that is modern, well-fitting and shows your assets in the best light. Hygiene should be impeccable, and you should hold yourself with a calm, erect and confident air and convey an optimistic, positive attitude. Remember, a first date should not be work. It should be fun. The conversation should flow in an easy and equal pace of mutual self-disclosure about light, fun topics that make you both smile. Men should be chivalrous, and women should be forgiving of any missteps or misspoke words. Don’t have sex too soon and never burn bridges. In the worst-case scenario, after the date, you’ve made a friend; best case, you have met the love of your life and there will be many more future dates on the horizon.
For more information contact Melinda Maximova, matchmaker with Perfect Search melinda@theperfectsearch.com

do so many Bay Area women complain about finding and keeping a great guy?



“yes’s” from her eager on-line suitors. Usually it is the men who take the reigns and dominate in the bedroom and women are typically the ones who get pampered – or perhaps, in play, paddled and… powdered?
