Dummies Guide to Flirting With...With Men /

Flirting is one of the most exciting parts of dating and meeting new people. For some people flirting comes naturally but to others it takes a lot of practise.

The biggest thing to remember when flirting is subtlety. Trying to hard, being over-confident and getting to close/personal are all areas to steer clear of.

First signs /

Lots of eye contact is the first give away. If he is with a group of friends, but is looking over at you more than them, it’s a good sign he’s interested. Hold his gaze for a couple of seconds, then look away. Next time you lock eyes, smile subtlety. If he returns the smile, and then you’re good to go.

Walking over /

The approach is the hardest part. It takes a lot of confidence to break away from friends and walk up to another person, essentially a stranger, and try and establish a conversation and make a connection. Remember this if he makes the first move; hold his gaze as he walks over so he knows he’s made the right decision coming over to talk to you.

Likewise if you’re the one doing the walking – make sure his body language is open and you are picking up the right signals. Walk slowly but confidently and don’t look at the floor!

Are you flirting /

The opening line is a potential minefield. Chat up lines are so often cheesy and in all honesty, a complete turn off. Anything too practised will sound fake. Try and be funny and, sods law, he will have a totally different sense of humour.

Your best bet is to walk over, say hi, introduce yourself and take it from there. Ask him questions, get him chatting. Talk about his job, his hobbies, the venue your in, what music he likes, what his plans are for the rest of the evening.

Keep eye contact, don’t keep your arms crossed in front of you and SMILE - if you find his jokes funny laugh at them (but no guffawing please!). TIP: A signature flirting move is casually touching his arm – if this doesn’t let him know that you’re interested, nothing will!

More importantly, is he flirting /

There are little tell-tale give-aways that he is flirting with you, and showing interest. Touching his face or the back of his neck, or playing with his collar or belt are all key signs.

Teasing is also a huge indicator. Remember when you were in school, and the boy that secretly liked you just used to run up and punch you in the arm? Not much has changed. Playful teasing and subtle body contact may as well carry a sign that says ‘I kinda like you...’.

Being protective of you – not in a controlling ‘I’m a complete psycho’ way, but in a more understated way. Moving you out of the way of people pushing past, leading you through a crowd are perfect examples of this.

What next /

Enjoy it!! Flirting can be the most enjoyable part of dating. Just remember to stay safe, never be overly provocative and keep in mind that he might just be as nervous as you.