Get past the first date – use the right interracial dating app, dating website, or matchmaking service and you’ll be headed for the second and beyond.
First dates are tough. You’re so focused on trying to make a good impression. Make sure you’re being yourself and making sure the person sitting opposite you is even worth it, that the whole thing can’t just be one giant mess of stress and anxiety. How can you navigate through the first date and have it go well enough that both of you want a second?
The first step comes before you even get to the first date. You need to make sure you’re looking for love on the right platform. Pick the right service – perhaps an interracial dating app if you think it will help, or a service that’s primarily geared towards finding love post-divorce or finding someone to marry. That way, you know you’re more likely to be on the same page from the get-go.
When you do eventually get to the first date, make sure to keep things interesting – no talking about the weather unless you’re chatting about your favorite vacation! A first date conversation needs to strike the perfect balance between getting to know someone and telling them about you. It’s not an easy thing to do. Don’t rehearse, but get it right and date number two could well be on the cards.
Make contact, but don’t stare.
Look at the person across the table from you. Eye contact is key to letting someone know you’re interested in what they have to say, and that you’re present and listening. That said, there’s such a thing as too much. Recent research has shown that too much eye contact on a first date can come across as creepy, or even confrontational in some circumstances. You don’t want to appear like you’re dominating your date by staring intensely at them the entire time, but do make eye contact when necessary.
Mind your (body) language.
As well as great conversation, body language is one of the most important things we try to ‘read’ when we’re on a first date. Keep your body language open and inviting, or you may find that the date is stilted and uncomfortable, because the other person is picking up an aloof or standoffish vibe. We know it can be awkward to meet someone for the first time, but it won’t get any less awkward if you’re stiff or closed off. While everyone wants to come across as sophisticated and mature, too much affectation can come across as snobbery. Don’t do it!
Make a Plan
When planning a first date, it’s easy to get into an endless cycle of ‘I don’t mind’ and ‘Whatever you want to do,’ but it’s actually a much more attractive quality for someone to take the lead. Decide what you want to do and communicate it. If you’ve been talking in advance of deciding to meet, you should both have a reasonable idea of what the other likes on a first date. If you get to the end and you want a second date, say so.
Image Credits: Second Date from Africa Studio/Shutterstock