Anyone who loves baseball loves this time of year. The new season just started and hope springs eternal, no matter how your team did last year. As matchmakers, we think baseball and dating have a lot in common. We’ve even created an interactive presentation, How to Hit a Home Run in Dating.
As any ball player who’s just gone through spring training will tell you, baseball takes lots of practice–and lots of heart. (As they sing in Damn Yankees, You Gotta Have Heart.) So does dating. When we give our presentation, we tell singles two things right off the bat (pun intended.) We tell them that dating takes lots of practice. And it takes a willingness to open your heart. The heart is more than a symbol of love; it’s a symbol of dedication. A positive dating experience is much more likely if you really put your heart into it.
How do you do this? The answer starts with one important word: communication. Certainly, everyone communicates. It’s just that we all need practice in communicating well. When it comes to dating communications skills, it’s important to remember that you communicate with others all the time. Even when you’re not speaking, you’re still sending powerful non-verbal messages to your date. Today, with texting, emails and phone messages, communication takes many forms. It’s wonderful to have these options, but they also make communication more complicated.
During our presentations, we ask two people to “role play” a first date scenario. Participants watch them, then rank this “couple” on verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Are they dressed appropriately? Do they make eye contact? Do they ask questions? Do they speak positively? These are just some of skills that we ask participants to consider. Every time we’ve done this, our role playing couple finds skills they did well–and skills that could use improvement. It’s this sense of self-discovery that makes the presentation fun and illuminating, both for the couple and for the participants.
As part of our matchmaking services, we always coach our clients on effective communication skills. Just like our presentation participants, our clients learn a lot about themselves. Everyone wants to hit a home run when they date. Even so, we know that–like the best baseball players–we all strike out sometimes, despite our best intentions. That’s why we’ll always follow up with our clients. As matchmakers, we give them everything they need to keep stepping up to the plate with confidence.
Baseball players always rely on coaches. If you’re a single in Miami or Boston, let Elegant Introductions be your dating coach. We’re also available to speak to organizations and groups. Contact us today or call us at 305-615-1900, and find out how we can help you or or your “team.” We can’t put a World Series ring on your finger. But if you want a wedding ring on your finger, we’ll do whatever we can to help you get it.