What is Speed Dating?

If you're single and haven't yet embarked on an evening of speed dating, it's time to bite the bullet and join the craze. The idea is simple yet effective - meet as many singletons of the opposite sex as you can in one evening - not a bad idea!

The beauty of Speed Dating is its no-nonsense approach. With an equal number of male and female singletons in a bar for an evening, it's generally a recipe for an entertaining evening one way or another. The general format of an evening is:

• the girls make themselves comfortable at a designated table
• the guys do the leg work moving around the tables of single girls
• each speed date lasts around 3-5 minutes
• everyone has a scorecard to jot down notes on the singletons they meet and decide whether to give them a tick or a cross
• a break half way through to fill up on drinks and get your breath back
• all score cards are handed in at the end of the evening with ticks next to speed daters you would like to hear from again and crosses next to those you don't
• an email from the organisers the next day with details of the dates you ticked and who also ticked you. The rest is left up to you.

Advantages of Speed Dating

For singles out there, dating couldn't be made much easier now that speed dating has come along. Put simply, the advantages of speed dating are:....

• you're guaranteed to meet at least 15 single people of the opposite sex in one evening, which beats your average night out in the bar!
• everyone is there for the same reason - to meet people - so there's a good atmosphere, and everyone's friendly and chatty - no frosty shrug off's
• short dates are the perfect way to meet people and get a flavour for whether or not you like them. A few minutes is long enough to get an initial impression, and short enough to avoid awkward moments if you've nothing to say!
• after the event, your email address is only passed on to the people you said you liked too, so no awkard moments there

Disadvantages of Speed Dating

It's hard to think of any real disadvantages of meeting a load of other singletons in one evening! At worst, you may come away without having met anyone you were particularly interested in. But chances are you've had a sociable night out with a few laughs and some interesting stories to tell your mates the following morning.

For those who find the prospect a bit daunting or nerve racking, the speed dating organisers do a great job of making guests feel relaxed, and sometimes even offer some example questions to stimulate conversation in case you get stuck. Usually, the most nervous of singletons soon warm up and get into it in no time at all.

The best tip of all is not to take it too seriously, go with the flow, and be yourself. Everyone's in the same boat, so just relax and have fun!

For more information on speed dating, have a read of the following articles:
Advice for Tackling Singles Events