Relax and Enjoy Your First Date with These Simple Elite Matchmaker Tips

The dreaded First Date. Nowadays, with another date just a swipe away, it seems like the pressures and awkwardness of a first date have only been magnified. At least with a professional matchmaker you know you’ll be meeting someone you actually have compatibility with, but whether or not you connect is really up to you. Our matchmakers put together a list of the five dating tips they wish more people knew going in to a first date:

Bring out the best in your date
It’s a well-known body language principle that humans subconsciously emulate the behaviors of those around them. If you are happy and comfortable, you will put your date at ease. If you are honest and compassionate, they will naturally respond in kind. Bringing out the best in your date requires you to see what their best qualities are, rather than being critical from the start. Best of all, it might just bring out the best in you.

Bring your smile
It may sound like the cheesiest dating advice in the world, but it’s actually science! People with smiles were perceived as more glowing and healthier than others (with or without makeup!). More than that, smiling relaxes you. If you come into a first date with a smile, you are coming in with an open and positive attitude, which makes you much more likely to connect with your date.

Listen rather than talk…
The impulse to talk when you want to impress a first date is a natural one. Unfortunately, you don’t notice or learn as much while you’re talking, and the more you talk the more chances you have to say something embarrassing or overload your date with information! Focusing on your date makes you less self-conscious. Even better, you’ll make your date feel understood and cared about, building a bond and a natural flow of give-and-take conversation.

…But don’t interrogate your date
This goes for ‘interviewing,’ and ‘qualifying,’ too. The moment you make the date feel like an interview is the moment you put your partner on the defensive. No one likes to feel like they need to “sell” themselves, and it’s certainly not romantic! A relationship requires open-mindedness and mutual respect, so the first date should reflect those traits too. It’s personal, not professional—you don’t want your date to feel dating you would be a job!

Be friendly even if it’s not a match
Not every first date is going to lead to a meaningful relationship, and that’s okay. But every first date is a chance to practice being open and connecting with another human being. After all, practice makes perfect, and you might even have fun.
If nothing else, just remember our favorite quote, “As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” So go out and shine!