Let’s face it- no matter where or how you met, there’s always a chance that the first date with someone new could be a dud. Though it may sound defeating, the pros of putting yourself out there and dating vastly outweigh the cons. To make the best of any dull date, use these tips from our relationship expert, Whitney Casey:
1. Bon Appétit!
Always pick a place where a) you know you love the food, or b) you’ve been dying to check out. That way no matter what the night leads to, you will eat a good meal and/or check that spot off your list of places you’ve wanting to try! You’ll avoid wasting your time and money if you head to a desirable spot. If it isn’t dinner, the same formula fits for coffee, dessert, movies, art exhibits etc. Either revisit some place you already like or check somewhere off your “to do” list.
2. Cliff’s Notes
No matter how lackluster your date is there is always something he/she knows that you don’t! If you realize the two of you are incompatible (yet you have the entire to dinner to sit through), start asking a few questions about their hobbies, passions or studies. Say your date is a huge wine aficionado– let them teach you all about wine production, how to sniff and swirl, or about wine paring. You could learn a lot while doing very little digging on your own! Your date has already done the research on something, and they are sitting across from you ready to give you the Cliff’s notes version. One date and you could be a mini expert in something.
3. Practice Make Perfect
If you know the date has gone south, try some new dating techniques. Consider your body language cues: Do you have your arms folded in an unwelcoming way? Are you facing away from the person? Work on fixing these bad habits that can send the wrong signals to your date off the bat. Also use this time to practice your conversation skills by asking a few conversation starters like: What is your favorite time of year? Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world? If the conversation goes somewhere where you start to feel uncomfortable, practice some segues that can help you get out of conversations you don’t want to be having.
4. Grace Under Fire
No matter how bad you think your date is going, rudeness is never an option. Always respect your date; like your mother said: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Despite the fact that this is the “Golden rule”, you might want to adhere to this motto for another reason: the single’s community is usually a “tight-knit group”. If the word gets out that you were impolite, ungrateful or disrespectful, that will not translate well for your dance card. Bow out gracefully, or you could be missing out on many other opportunities to come!
Do you have any tactics for making a bad date better? Tell us in the comments below.
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