Even you have read our dating advice, once in a while; small talk will go terribly, terribly wrong. You'll start out with the best of intentions, offering a hilarious and critical review of the latest blockbuster, only to find out that your conversation partner is the director's cousin.
• Realize that mistakes happen.
• Do not run away. Maintain eye contact and a friendly (if perhaps sheepish) demeanor at all times.
• Apologize sincerely—not for your beliefs, but for any hurt feelings you might have caused by voicing those beliefs. Say, "I am so sorry if I've offended you."
• Backpedal and offer up some positive spin: "I have so much admiration for anyone who makes it in the movie industry. It's such a cutthroat field."
• Say something funny or self-deprecating to cut the tension: "I tried to make a movie once in high school and the only ones who would watch it all the way through was my mother and my dog. It turned out my dog was sleeping with her eyes open."
• Change the subject.
You may have struck up a conversation with a looker who turns out to have nothing to say and/or has no interest in you beyond trying to lure you to a cult meeting. Often, all it takes for you to lose interest is for a person to open his mouth and speak. After you've obviously made an effort to approach and start a conversation, how can you retreat quickly and gracefully? Here is some good dating advice for this case.
Retreat
1.)
• Pretend that you've just spotted someone over his shoulder. Give a little gasp and mutter an explanation that's so quick and complicated it's almost unintelligible, such as, "Oh my gosh, is that Sue? I haven't seen Sue in ages, and I still have her spare house keys. You know she changed her number because someone stole her cell phone, and it was such a big mess! Anyway, I haven't been able to read her, and now I must go and catch her. So take care, it's been really nice meeting you!"
• Walk briskly and don't look back to see if he's watching you. Turn a corner so you're out of sight.
• Leave the premises so that he can't see that you are not in fact talking to a woman named Sue.
2.)
• It’s a little weird dating advice but it can work well: Act weirdly so he can't help but want you to leave.
• No matter what he asks, answer every question as if he's asking, "What's your favorite color?" So, if he asks, "Do you shop here a lot?," you'll reply, "Actually it's green, but when I was growing up I had a thing for pink. Everything had to be pink. It drove my parents crazy!"
Jodie Brittain is the CEO of Australian Online Dating website, Slinky Dating Australia - the Aussie-only Online Singles site for men and women looking for friends or serious relationships. Join Slinky Online Dating for Free!
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