You may have impressed someone online with your great profile and emails, but your first real life meeting could make - or break - your relationship. Our advice can help you make a great first impression on a potential partner.
First impressions are often made in under ten seconds. If you can present yourself well in the first few seconds, and the minutes that follow, your first date will be a big success.
Remember to be yourself. Be confident in your own skin, and it will show. Even though you may be incredibly nervous, remain calm. A great icebreaker could be making a joke about how nervous you're feeling!
Be on time. Plan to leave your home 15 minutes earlier than you would need to, just in case anything happens along the way. If you are running late, call ahead.
Smile. A smile shows that you are a positive, attractive, vibrant person. Smiling will also help you to calm those nerves, and your dates.
People will judge another person on various characteristics. This doesn't mean that you need to be a tall-dark-handsome-man or a blonde-blue-eyed-femme-fatale. Instead, pay attention to the little things, like:
- your posture and body language
- eye contact
- personal hygiene
- good dress sense
- outward confidence
- your smile
Women should not dress in revealing clothing for the first date. Wear something that makes you look and feel good. Guys should wear stylish clothing that is clean and ironed. First dates are not the best times to wear your new outfit for the first time.
On the rest of your date, you will need to build on that first impression. Concentrate on being happy, fun, kind, humorous, confident, and most importantly - yourself!
Negative impressions are just as easy to create as positive impressions. Your date will not be impressed if you act immature, shallow, self-centred, materialistic, and judgmental.
If you are nervous about making conversation, review a few email conversations you have had in the past. Think of a few questions that you haven't asked yet. This is the time when you get to know your date better, face-to-face.
Avoid talking too much, in an effort to fill silences. Don't babble, just accept the silences as a temporary lull in conversation.
Also avoid talking about current events. Viewpoints vary wildly on topics like politics, world events, and religion. Leave the serious talk for later dates. Fighting over differing viewpoints is a good way NOT to get a second date.
During the date, you should pay attention to your partner's body language. If you notice negative body language, try to fix the situation. Positive body language will show that you're doing a great job at impressing your date.
At the end of your date, don't ask straight up for another date. Leave the possibility open. Mention that you had a great time, then, instead of asking for a date, just say, "Let me know if you'd like to come out again."
First impressions last forever, so you should focus on making your first impression a good one. Who knows, your first date could be the start of a life-long, satisfying, relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment