PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

As our office hours get longer, social lives often get neglected until, one day, we wake up and think, “Hey, how come all my friends are in couples and I’m still single?” Are you one of those who are sick of forever finding yourself one of only two singles at a friend’s dinner party?

Fed up of your married friend’s matchmaking for you, you decide to visit a dating agency. Ten years ago, confessing that you had joined a dating agency would have been tantamount to social suicide, but these days the stigma is fading fast.

Today, many happy and successful people opt for a little outside help as it can be a quick and convenient way of finding friendship and possibly romance. So you visit an agency and voila! You find a face that has been your dream all this while and very soon you fix up a blind date with the person.

The big night arrives, yet for some reason you feel like a teenager going on your first date. We all crave for companionship, but when it comes to actually enjoying another person’s company we are often at a loss as to how to behave. Don’t despair.

The dating game is not as daunting as it seems. Here are a few tips to calm those pre-date nerves.

Do not expect the earth

• The dating process is not without pitfalls. Someone can have the most impressive agency profile and a very flattering photograph but when you meet them, it might be a different story.

Be sensible on your first meeting

• Go for a drink or a cup of coffee rather than commit yourself to spending an entire evening with someone whom you may hate on sight.

Meet on neutral territory

• Don’t go to your local wine bar where you are likely to know everyone, because your date will feel left out.

Decide on a dress code

• It should be such that you don’t feel over-dressed.

Keep your friend informed

• Tell a friend where you are going and what time you expect to be home, just in case anything goes wrong.

Be positive

• Having a positive about yourself helps when meeting someone new. You are hoping to meet someone you will like and who will like you too. People are drawn to bright and cheerful personalities rather than those which are shrouded in negativity. He will be able to spot neediness or desperation at 50 paces.

Treat others as you would like to be treated

• If you don’t like someone, politely make it clear that you don’t want to meet up again. Don’t promise to call if you have no intention of ever seeing them again.