No matter how much time you spend outdoors, it will come to no avail if you’re still using come-hither techniques that were in vogue sometime around the invention of the maxipad. The following quiz reveals if you’re relying on antiquated maneuvers favoured by medieval maidens-in-waiting.

Flirt Technique Diagnostic

Are the following statements true or false? Pencils up, and begin.

If a woman makes the first move, she’ll never know if a man really likes her or not.

True______ False______

If a woman initiates a first date, a man will automatically think she’s looking for sex and won’t respect her.

True_______ False______

Men don’t like to be asked out by women. They find it emasculating and a turnoff.

True_______ False______


Pencils down, please.

If you answered “True” to all of these questions, you’re probably so demoralized by your lack of action that you’ve stopped bikini waxing! If eating frozen yogurt is your idea of fun on a Saturday night, your salvation has finally come.

Flirtatious Field Maneuvers

1. Get a bird’s eye view of the room: I cannot stress the importance of using this time-saving technique enough. Climb directly to the highest vantage point in any venue and position yourself at the top of the stairs or at the railing of a balcony to quickly survey the terrain and assess the talent.

2. Never sit with your back to a room: You won’t meet them if you can’t greet them, so always position yourself so you can easily spot incoming men. Never place yourself in a secluded or quiet area of a bar or restaurant. Instead, position yourself in high-traffic areas by requesting a table or barstool close to the frontline action.

3. Keep exploring: if you’re at a club or an event and it’s a dud, skip out and move to the next. Hey, that’s why they call it going on a Manhunt! Always coordinate your team’s itinerary and plan at least three man-friendly destinations to explore per mission.

4. Peer about: You can always pretend to be looking for someone (You are! You just haven’t found him yet.) Begin at one corner of a room and then do a lap around the perimeter. If you’re in a crowded venue, do this every twenty minutes.

5. Don’t forget high-volume areas: Lobbies are excellent places to mantrap, and are commonly overlooked by the inexperienced flirter. Since the advent of no-smoking laws, designated smoking sections can often be more fun to flit through than bars themselves.


Tell us what you think — Would these techniques work for you? Discuss in our forums!

Excerpted from Dating, Mating, and Manhandling: The Ornithological Guide to Men by Lauren Frances. Copyright 2006 by Lauren Frances. Published by Harmony Books, a division of Random House of Canada. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.