7 Tips for a Great First Date

Follow these simple first-date etiquette tips and you'll greatly improve your chances for a second date.

1. Make a Backup Plan

The weather can change quickly, restaurants can close for renovations, and your tickets can turn out to be counterfeit. Have a backup plan in mind in case your date takes an unexpected turn.

2. Plan a Short Date

No need to map out the rest of your lives together. Start with a simple, 1-2 hour date. If things go well, you can always extend the date. There's nothing worse than being on an all-day tour when you realized five minutes into the date that you have no future together.

3. Be Punctual

There's no greater sign of disrespect than being late for your first date. Get directions to your location, arrive early, and show your date that you care about him or her and the plans you made.

4. Agree on the Dress Code

When planning the date, talk about the dress code for the particular event. It can be embarrassing if one person shows up in a suit while the other wears jeans and a sweatshirt.

5. Compliment, But Don't Over Do It

A few nice words make everyone feel special, but persistent comments about the other person's looks, personality, body, etc., gets old and can seem desperate.

6. Drink Responsibly

A few drinks may take the pressure off the date, but don't pretend you're at a fraternity party. Drinking too much will likely bring out some bad sides to your personality -- and that can't help your chances.

7. Balance Talking and Listening

Pay attention to the amount of time you spend talking versus listening. If the scale is weighing in either direction, look to balance it out.

Jeff Cohen is the author of Dating, Inc., a book that shows single women how to use proven business principles to find, select, and keep the right man for a relationship -- many of the same skills that already make them successful at work. He's appeared on CNN, CBS, and Voice of America, and been interviewed by USA Today, Daily News, Denver Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Herald, and Martha Stewart Living Radio. He earned a dual degree in marketing from the Wharton School of Business and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. He readily admits taking charge of his love life through a game plan that included 77 blind dates before he found "the one."

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