The first date

Having successfully made online contact with someone new, you should think about moving on to a first date. Emails and, in due course, phone calls can tell you a lot about someone, but face-to-face interaction is what matters most when it comes to a potential relationship. In these days of online dating, an easygoing first date is the preferred option for many people - maybe just a coffee somewhere nice. Whatever the venue, you’ll be thinking about making a positive impression. It’s almost like going to a job interview, so there might be a few nerves and worries along the way, but this advice from PARSHIP’s experts will put you at ease with some tips on getting the best out of a first date.

How to spruce up your look for a date

Congratulations if you have just managed to secure a date. This means that the person in interested in meeting you. more

First-date nerves. Why do we get them?

How we feel as a first date approaches depends on so many factors. You might already have an idea about how well suited you could be to each other, and your tentative feelings about the other person can have a major impact. The prospect of the date could become really daunting – or you might adopt a ‘take it or leave it’ approach... more

Yes, no or perhaps … How to deal with the dynamics of a date

Top tips for getting to know your new partner:

So you’ve met a couple of times, your head is spinning, you’re excited about the next date and the troubles of the world seem like something from another planet. more

5 things women look at on the first date

No one likes to be judged, but on first dates we’re always judging others and being judged ourselves. Unfortunately, that is the nature of the beast, while both parties decide whether to carry on seeing each other. Both women and men look at various things during the date and use them as means of determining whether a guy is right for them. This posts sets out 5 things women look at when on a first date with a man. more

Yes, no or perhaps … How to deal with the dynamics of a date

There are 15 million single people in the UK, many of them looking for the love of their life. You’d think there really must be someone for everyone. But meeting new people can be hard work and it can take a number of dates before you meet someone who could be right for you. So how do you deal with a first date? more

How to be a confident single

When we look at our friends they can often make dating look so easy, they’re easy going, they know what to say and they’re confident. more

Larger woman would like to meet

Paula Hall, PARSHIP's dating expert offers advice to a woman obsessing about dates. more

Still at stage one after six weeks of dating

Today Paula Hall offers advice to a member who is unsure if the man she has been dating for six-weeks is really interested in her romantically. more

Top ten date ideas

Dating is about a variety of things – finding love, a secure relationship, maybe marriage, and children, but to start with it has to be about having fun. more

What difference a character makes

When I meet women I just don't seem to be attracted to them. Is it my personality? - Advice for single men more

The first date

How much does a first date tell you? Every encounter can hold possibilities, especially if you’re supported by PARSHIP and its scientifically proven matching. A first date can lead to a lifelong relationship - but it can also lead to a friendship or simply to a (polite) ‘Thanks, but no thanks’. Perhaps you can’t be sure within an hour whether you have found Mr or Ms Right, but you can know whether you would like a second date.

Ideally, a first date should take the form of a friendly and relaxed exchange of questions and answers. Don’t be afraid to ask some casual questions to get things going. Most people will be ready to tell you something about themselves. You should be ready reveal something about yourself too. If you are someone who tends to talk a lot when you are maybe a little nervous of excited, try and keep calm and to give the other person the opportunity to interact with you. If, though, you are someone who is more on the quiet side, show your date that you are reacting to what they are saying with some ‘active listening’. It will help the conversation to flow more easily.

The first time you meet someone, it is preferable to keep off subjects like past relationships and matters such as marriage, sex and personal crises. If a real rapport is established between the two of you, hopefully things will go beyond a first date, and you will have future opportunities for some more serious discussions. All being well, the two of you will take things to a second date. Whether you will then want to move into a relationship, only you can say.

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Latest articles from the magazine

The first date

How to spruce up your look for a date

First-date nerves. Why do we get them?

Top tips for getting to know your new partner:

5 things women look at on the first date

Yes, no or perhaps … How to deal with the dynamics of a date

How to be a confident single

Larger woman would like to meet

Still at stage one after six weeks of dating

Top ten date ideas

What difference a character makes

The first date

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