When this book landed on my desk, I thought of at least three or four women I know who’d want to get their hands on it.
Lots of women HATE online dating and find the idea of meeting a man through an app totally unnatural.
If you’re not comfortable with technology, don’t photograph well or prefer to trust your gut instinct on prospective partners, Camille Virginia’s book The Offline Dating Method: How to Attract a Great Guy in the Real World, will speak to you.
Through coaching, courses and workshops, Camille (pictured) has helped women in over 100 countries learn how to attract men – and enjoy life more in general.
Here’s a taster of the sort of practical advice she gives in her book.
You’ll find her book here and can join her offline dating challenge here (and get a free book excerpt).
ELEVEN SUPER SIMPLE WAYS TO START A CONVERSATION
One of the things that women struggle with the most when meeting a man, is how to start a conversation.
When I was filming Would Like to Meet, a dating show I did for the BBC, I’d take hopeful single women ‘boy shopping’. This entailed both of us going somewhere like a bar or place with lots of people, having rather a lot to drink and me teaching flirting tips in a real life situation.
For most women, the hardest bit was making chit-chat with a stranger.
Here’s Camille’s take on how to do it.
Pick the approach that feels the most comfortable for you and that suits the situation you’re in.
Pull a ROAK
It might be putting your umbrella over someone else if you’re standing in the rain, it might be holding a door open or picking something up that someone’s dropped.
You can never go wrong with a Random Act of Kindness.
Drop a compliment
‘Nice watch/shirt/socks/bag’
‘Great T-shirt. Where did you get it?’
It’s a non-threatening way to start a conversation that no-one can possibly be offended by.
Casually cut in
When you overhear an interesting conversation in public, feel free to chime in about it – as long as you keep it positive.
Give the other person space and see if they bring you into the interaction.
Sprinkle some value
Suggest a great food order if you’re standing next to an attractive man at your local takeaway who’s just asked the assistant ‘What’s good?’.
See a guy struggling with how to do something on their phone? Offer to help.
Share a short quip
You’re on the tube and something happens and everyone who witnessed it sort of looks around at each other with the expression, “Did anyone else just see that?’.
Hold eye contact with the person you want to speak to and say out loud. ‘Did you just see that?’
Spread the news
Having a coffee and sitting close to someone cute? Scroll through the news and find an item that most people would know about.
Then say out loud to yourself something that relates to it, like, ‘They just found the missing hiker, alive!’
Turn to the person next to you and say, ‘Sorry! But how good is that?’
Try a ‘Hi’
This approach is just one word and four quick steps: catch a man’s eye, flash him a smile, say ‘Hi’ and then go back to doing whatever you were doing.
That’s a flashing green light for him to approach you.
Ask a question
‘What are you drinking?’
‘A margarita.’
‘Oh, is it good?’
‘Yeah, let me buy you your first margarita’
At a charity event: ‘What’s your connection to the cause’
At a party: ‘How do you know the birthday boy?’
Ask them to take a photo of you
It’s an oldie but a goodie – plus it forces him to look at you.
Put in a request
On the bus: ‘Can you tell me what the next stop is?’
At the bar: ‘Can you ask the bartender for a glass of water please?’
At the elevator: ‘Could you hit the tenth-floor button for me?’
Make someone smile
If you want to create an instant bond with someone, say something to make them smile.
Get creative!
Smile at random people, give a compliment or make a funny observation out loud to no one in particular but within earshot of the person you like the look of.
