Everyone has his own pace. "You can't hurry love" went the line of a popular song from the '70s. Remember my theory that each person in dating has his or her own comfort level for intimacy and independence. These days, the phrase used is commonly "I need more space." If someone asks for that space, give it to them. Remember ther...

Be natural as you can in saying what you want to say. Second-guessing what the other person wants to hear, and being self-conscious about what you say only makes you come across stilted and unnatural. but a few topics are best to avoid on your first date: * Obviously, noticing other attractive people and pointing them out. This only makes the....

Who Pays? When you start going on several dates, the issues about who pays can shift from the routine you have set up on your first dates. As you go out more often and spend more money, you might want to share more equally in some of the expenses. And you might want to be more sensitive to who is earning more money. Talk about this without fear,...

After the date, you will invariably have thoughts about how it went. Hopefully you will feel peaceful and satisfied. That's the best sign that things went well and you felt good about yourself and your date. But often, the next day you may find yourself "Monday morning quarter-backing" in a critical review about what you did or said, wish...

Define the amount of time of the date beforehand because you don't know how the first date will turn out or how much you will like each other. That means you should say ahead of time what time you want to be home, so it doesn't cause any anxiety during the date. Doing so gives you an easy out if you are not having a good time, without either of...

In this day and age, decisions about who pays for what have become more complicated than in previous dating ages, when the rules were clearer. Up until '70s, the man usually paid for everything. As more women went to work and the women's liberation movement demended equality, it became more common for couples to "go Dutch," where the man...

A picture is worth a thousand words. So, besides just talking, think of taking along things to show your date, to illustrate what you're up to, or something interesting that you're into. For example: a newspaper article about you or whatever you're interested in, an award you won, a gift you got from your mother, a photo of your latest vacation. ....

The art of conversation involves having the confidence to speak freely about whatever comes to your mind (without self-consciousness or second-guessing yourself), but also in a manner that engages the other person to be interested in what you are saying and feel like you are interested in them as well. Your conversation can cover many types of.....