Meeting People On A Date- Some Helpful Tips

While writing my last post, I couldn't help but think how some of the tips I had to building friendships and relationships can apply to dating as well. The situations are a little bit different but some of the same concepts can apply.

When on a date, it's important to take time to get to know the other person, be polite and be relaxed. Below are some of the same tips I had in my last post but how they can apply to dating:

1) Take Time To Get to Know the Other Person and Avoid Giving Your Own Verbal Autobiography - When dating someone, take the time to get to know the other person rather then provide your whole life story on the first date. Take time to get to know what the other person enjoys doing, his or her passions and interests. The key is to learn more about the other person and learn more about him or her to develop the relationship.

2) We Were Given Two Ears and One Mouth so We Can Listen Twice as Much as We Talk - I know I mentioned this in my last post but it does apply here as well. Listen to the other person when on your date and learn more about him or her. Talking too much could end up in monopolizing the conversation and may bore your date. Take the time to listen, learn more about the other person and you will be able to hold a conversation more easily then if you don't listen.

3) Make Eye Contact - If you don't make eye contact, people will notice. Eye contact is something that I have struggled with at times and people have noticed it when I didn't! Make sure to make eye contact with your date.

4) Relax- Going on a date for the first time can be a little nerve racking, however, being more relaxed will help you listen better, learn more about the other person and hold a conversation more easily.

5) Be Polite to the Person Serving You - No matter where you are at with your date, be polite to the people around you and serving you as well. For example, if you are at a restaurant, be polite to your server. Being impolite, impatient, or disrespectful could be a huge turnoff and may eliminate any chances of getting a future date with the person you are with. Treat the person who is your server as a friend and with respect. There is a big difference between saying "Hey server, get me a glass of water!" and "Excuse, when you have a moment, could I have another glass of water please?" and your date will know that as well.

6) If Possible, Turn Off Your Cell Phone and Avoid Looking at Messages or Calls When Sitting With the Person - Personally, I hate talking on my cell phone when I am with someone else and prefer to have it completely turned off so that any call will go straight to my voicemail and not be a distraction during the date. You can always respond to the message later but you can't always get a second chance with a person you ignored because you took a phone call or text message during the date.

7) Don't Be Down On Yourself If A Date Doesn't Work Out- We all have had dates that didn't quite work out or have gone out on dates with people we didn't feel a connection with during the interaction. It can be hard to take sometimes but don't take it personally and realize there are other people out there. If a date doesn't work out, be respectful to that person, don't blast him or her on Twitter, Facebook or in other forms of media and remember to respect his or her feelings. It's better to move on then to go out of your way to hurt someone else's feelings over a date that didn't work out. Even if you don't go out with this person again or become friends, the person will remember if you were polite and respectful.

Meeting People For the First Time- Some Helpful Tips

Meeting new people is important in developing relationships and your personal and professional network. Being able to build friendships and relationships is important in life and can help build a support network when needed.

For some, meeting someone for the first time can be intimidating and nerve-racking. Making a first impression is important but is not as hard as you think.

Below are some tips for making the most out of meeting someone for the first time:

1) Take Time To Know The Other Person and Avoid Giving Your Own Verbal Autobiography - Monopolizing the conversation and only talking about yourself could be a turn off right away and might even bore the other person. Take time to find out what his or her interests are, what passions he or she might have and his or her interests. Take time to get to know the other person rather then re-living your entire life in just one conversation. It will show you are interested in getting to know the other person and not promoting yourself.

2) We Were Given Two Ears and One Mouth So We Could Listen Twice as Often as We Talk - Before my senior year of college, a network contact of mine (who I still keep in touch with to this day) mentioned this to me and it really resonated with me. Take the time to listen to the other person in conversation. By listening, you will know what to ask next, learn more about the person sitting across the table from you and be able to hold a conversation better. You will be able to find more to talk about and know more about the person in the end.

3) Make Eye Contact - I'll admit that I have trouble with this one at times and it is more noticeable then you think. If you aren't making eye contact, people will notice. Not making eye contact could be a turn off to some people. Make sure to make eye contact with the person and it may even help you listen better.

4) Be Relaxed - This one might be hard to do but relax when sitting down with someone for the first time. Meeting new people is something that will never change in life and be relaxed and calm during the first meeting. Being uptight could make it difficult to listen, hold a conversation or learn more about that person.

Facebook Tips

Over the years, Facebook has grown into one of the most popular forms of social media. What started out just on college campuses has grown into a worldwide form of communication. With more and more users each day, Facebook has developed into one of the most powerful and effective forms of social media today.

Even though Facebook is popular, many still question whether or not they wish to be apart of it. Fears over privacy, personal information and other concerns are often mentioned as reasons not to take part in it.

Not everyone has to have a Facebook account but for those of you who are considering, below are some tips for getting started:

1) Decide What You Want and Don't Want People To See - If you don't want people you don't know finding your phone number, don't put it on there. If you don't want people using your work e-mail or personal e-mail address to reach you, do not put it on there. Decide what information you want people to see and only put that on the profile. Do not put any information that you do not want people to see on your profile.

2) If You Don't Know Someone Requesting to Be Your Friend on Facebook, You Do Not Have To Accept the Request - Chances are, you will probably get a few friend requests from people you do not know. If you are not comfortable accepting the request, you do not have to add this person to your friends list. Avoid requesting to be friends with people you do not know and you never have to accept friend requests from those you do not know. You can send a message to clarify the person's identity but you do not have to accept the request if you are not comfortable.

3) Watch What You Put on Your Profile - It has been said many times before but be careful about the content you place in your profile. Just because a picture, video, phrase or joke might be funny to you, it may be offensive to others. If you aren't sure if someone will be offended by something, do not place it in your profile. You never know who may come across your profile and be offended by an inappropriate picture, video, joke or phrase.

4) Keep in Mind Current and Potential Employers May Monitor the Content in Your Profile- Similar to the third point mentioned in this post, watch what you say in your profile about other people or businesses. You never know when someone might catch wind of something posted on your profile. More and more businesses are monitoring what employees and job candidates are placing on their Facebook profiles and you will need to be careful what you say.

College Graduation Advice

While looking through my Facebook account recently, the Communications Department at Otterbein University posted a question for alumni. The question was what advice you have for those who are graduating from college and I couldn't help but think back to when I walked across the commencement stage three years ago to earn my degree. I thought I knew a lot at that time but didn't quite expect what it would be like to leave college and enter the so-called "real world."

I've learned a lot in the three years since I graduated college and here is the advice I would give to any college graduate:

1) Learn to Network - The connections you make and the relationships you build will pave the path for you down the road. Take the time to network as a young professional, develop relationships with others and build a business foundation. You will never know what opportunities can arise from keeping in touch with these contacts and where your career will go from there

2) Take Time To Meet New People- This might sound obvious but if you are moving back home from being away for a while or moving to a new city, it might be a little lonelier then you anticipated. When I moved back to the Cleveland area after living in Columbus for my four years of college, it was a bit lonely for me at times mainly because my foundation of friends was no longer there and I hadn't spent that much time in the area during college. What helped me was taking time to join some of the local young professional business groups, networking, the Cleveland Hockey Boosters and even Match.com to meet new people. Some other friends of mine have utilized Meetup.com to meet new people and others have joined local sports leagues or gone onto Craigslist to find opportunities to meet new people. No matter where you end up, take time to meet new people and build friendships from that

3) No Matter How Far You Go, Don't Forget Those Who Have Helped You Along The Way - Take time to keep in touch with old college professors, friends and others that helped you reach this point in your life. Continue to maintain those relationships and staying in touch will be meaningful to the other person

The Importance of Staying In Touch

Throughout your college and professional career, staying in touch with those who have helped you along the way is a must. Sometimes it is difficult to stay in touch with everyone but taking a few moments to drop a quick hello can go a long way.

To stay in touch, you don't necessarily have to have a person's address or go visit face-to-face. Simple ways such as thank you notes, short emails, and other simple reminders can help you stay in touch with those who have helped you along the way.

Below are some quick and easy ways to stay in touch:

1) E-Mail - taking a few moments to send a quick e-mail to check in is a great way to keep in touch. Try not to keep the e-mails really long (just a couple of quick sentences) and take time at the end to ask how the other person is doing.

2) Saying Congrats- if a contact of yours has been rewarded publicly, has been acknowledged for an achievement or has gotten a promotion, taking a few moments to say congrats via e-mail or regular card can help. It shows you care enough to send a person a note recognizing an achievement and will keep you fresh in that person's mind.

3) Simple Reminders- taking time to get to know network contacts as people is important and if you come across a keepsake or article that would be of interest, take a few moments to send it to that person. This is a great way to catch someone's interest and will show you remembered the other person's interests