I’m currently single so perhaps I’m not the best person to be giving dating advice. Instead of focusing on the relationship part of dating, here are my top five tips for a first date and ensuring that, at the very least, you have a good time!
1. Be decisive
Whatever you are going to do, be it dinner, beers, coffee or stand up paddle boarding, I’ve found being decisive and directive ensures smooth sailing. No one likes being asked out only to again be asked where they want to go, what type of wine they want to drink, and what time they want to meet. I’m not saying you should dictate by any stretch of the imagination, but have an idea of everything and put it to your date as a suggestive question: “Why don’t we meet at The Winery at 9pm on Thursday for a few drinks?”.
2. Put the phone down
You may have met on Tinder, Grindr, Scruff, or the plethora of other apps, but nothing says “this date is a disaster” more than one of you scrolling through the other potentials on offer around you while the person you may be wanting to close the deal with sits opposite.
3. Do a bit of research before you meet
Let’s face it, you’re going to do a bit of social media stalking. But instead of just looking through his pics, take notice of his interests, where he went on holiday last, or even which mutual friends you have. There is nothing more awkward than silence and in the technological age of today, vocally conversing has become a novelty. So if you can hold a decent convo, you’ll be at third base before you know it!
4. Be prepared
If you have managed to keep the conversation going for at least a bottle of wine, you’re probably a ‘walk up start’ for the date to progress to the nearest abode. Believe it or not, given that you now know each other a little better, I have always found the sex to be much more intense than the 20 minutes of friction you get with whichever neighbour you hook up with on your favourite app. But with this in mind, you need to have done some preparation first. Fresh bed linen, decent lube and condoms won’t go astray. Because absolutely nothing says sexy like running to your flatmate’s room wrapped in a towel because you haven’t prepared!
5. Always be closing
In the words of Blake (Alec Baldwin) in Glengarry Glen Ross, always be closing! If you like your date, you’ve had a good time, and you’d like to see him again, then lock down the next meeting before you part ways. None of this ‘I can’t text for three days’ crap. Remember, coffee’s for closers, so make sure you pour yourself a cup.
If you enjoyed this article, here are our six tips to be a good first date!