Best of Friends



 

Dating advice

The Dos and Don'ts of your first meeting

Men meeting women

  • arrange meetings in a place to suit the women
  • offer public places, and during daylight hours for the first meeting e.g., coffee bar or garden centre - women feel safer and more comfortable
  • check she has transport - especially back from the meeting
  • remember - if you have a car - offering to pick her up or take her home may not be appropriate until you get to know each other
  • make sure you turn up and on time
  • keep the first meeting to a limited and fixed time, keep it simple
  • stay for the allotted time and then finish the meeting
  • offer to telephone her if you wish to meet again
  • if you cannot attend for any reason make sure you let her know well beforehand
  • under no circumstances should you leave somebody waiting

Women meeting men

  • meet in a public place
  • tell someone when, where and who you are meeting and what time you will be back
  • it can be useful to have a friend come and meet you or ring you at a pre-arranged time, giving you the option of continuing the meeting or finishing it conveniently
  • make sure you have your own transport arrangements clearly organised - bus, taxi, car - particularly getting home
  • make sure you are on time
  • keep the first meeting to a limited and fixed time, keep it simple
  • stay for the allotted time and then finish the meeting - suggest that you might meet again, if you would like to
  • make sure you let him (or BOF office) know in good time if you cannot attend for any reason

For both

  • don't expect too much from a first meeting
  • be prepared to give it a second shot - you may become good friends and widen your circle of contacts even if there is no likelihood of romance. But don't say you'll ring if you don't really intend to do so
  • don't talk too much about yourself but do answer questions
  • do ask each other questions
  • you will have a lot to talk about - what brought you into BOF, some of the questions on the forms, details on the personal profile, holidays, even the price of petrol!!
  • take a mobile phone with you if you have one
  • clarify how you will identify the person you are meeting
  • be friendly and courteous
  • don't drink and drive!
  • let BOF know how you got on