Whenever you're on a date, sometimes it's so easy to get lost in your date's eyes, or even wrapped up in the story or anecdote you're telling, and you completely miss the fact that they aren't really enjoying themselves. And if you do catch yourself thinking that they are, then all of a sudden you're worried about that, and then your nervousness begins to show, and suddenly not only are you not acting like your cool, calm and collected self, but someone who is sweaty and stumbling over the words, hoping that this person that you don't know very well thinks you're dull.

Fortunately, one of the great things about the online dating/hook-up world is that you can get a decent peek into your date's mind before meeting them face to face. Even if they don't write very much on their profile page, just reading a bit about their likes and dislikes can certainly help you know what topics to bring up and which ones to avoid once that inevitable moment of awkward silence descends upon the two of you.

Meeting new people is never easy, and it makes sense that you would be nervous, even if you've already been messaging or texting online beforehand. Sitting across from someone and being able to read their every gesture and bit of body language is a lot different than simply reading the text they've just sent you. Suddenly you don't have minutes to come back with a clever quip or interesting thing to say. Now you have to be ready for a real time conversation!

Talk show host David Letterman said that the guy to a good guest is to have three exciting stories about yourself, and while that might not cover a full date's worth of talking, it's definitely good advice to have. Whenever the conversation seems to sag, or your both kind of looking around the bar or restaurant or park to find something else to comment on, throw in the story about how you met a celebrity once at a coffee shop and you had them take a picture of you both with your camera.

If you've read one particular anecdote or quirk on their profile that was interesting, don't necessarily use it in the initial texting/messaging conversation. Save it for the date, because if there is a lull, it's a good chance for them to talk about themselves for awhile.

Without a doubt the biggest indication that your date is bored is that they go for their phone while you are sitting across from them. Now of course these days checking your phone regularly is pretty much accepted, but it is still considered rude on a first or second date to reach for it just because you're not having the most exciting time. While this might be a full on deal-breaker for the whole date because you find this act extremely rude, it's up to you whether you want to address it directly, or simply double your effort in making sure you're interesting enough so that the person never thinks to grab it again.

Fidgeting can also be a sign of boredom, since if you really don't know what to do with yourself, or don't really find the person describing their office job in great detail, scratching your wrist or cracking your neck comes fairly naturally. A good conversation to come out of that is to talk about stretching, yoga, or exercising.

If they excuse themselves to go to the bathroom, that's definitely not an indication of boredom, but if they seem to spend a heck of a lot of time in there, or are already grabbing their phone texting as they get up from their seat, or are still looking down on their phone as they are about to sit back down, it might be an indication that you aren't exactly at the forefront of their mind.

One thing you should definitely not misinterpret is when people occasionally look away while they talk. It is actually rather difficult for people to continually make eye contact with others, because of the fear of appearing to be staring, which can actually unnerve others. In fact, there is even a rather informal social rule where you should only look at someone directly in the eyes for only half the time that you're talking. Any more than that, and you might come off acting strange. It's a bit different from when you're listening, though, where you should maintain eye contact around seventy percent of the time. But don't try to time it in any way. Just try to act natural.

By far the easiest conversation starter - even if you're at party meeting new people, with no dating implications at all - is just to talk about the places around the world you've been, or would like to go. It's almost always a safe bet, because one of the things that people always put on their dating profile is that they love to travel (in fact, even if people are real homebodies, it's rare that they would actually put something like 'don't like to travel' in their bio).

If the two of you have happened to have gone to the same place, it's a good chance to compare notes about attractions and restaurants (you can both feel very worldly and cool when talking about your favourite museums in Paris). If you've gone to places that are a lot of more adventurous and off the beaten path, then it's a good chance to impress them with some anecdotes about how you dealt with strange and stressful situations.

While most people assume that the awkward silence is the only example of people being bored on a date, it is not true. It's completely possible for you to be talking up a storm the whole time, and your date is trying their best to keep from falling asleep because you just don't seem to know when to shut up for a second. Even if you have nothing but exciting stories, people can get bored of listening to almost anything after awhile, especially when you consider that it's a date, not a lecture.

This is why asking questions is very important to keep the back-and-forth conversation going. Hopefully you'll catch yourself and realize you've talk for like five minutes straight, and will be able to loop the conversation about food back around to asking what their favourite dish is. Even if the questions are fairly basic, it's obviously a great way to learn a bit more about the person, and based on their reaction, you can decide whether to stay on this topic or move on to another (if they excitedly talked about their favourite foods, keep the topic on that, don't change it something else right away).

If you are on a great date, where you're both having a very fun time, it's easy for time to fly, and suddenly they're closing up the restaurant or it's last call at the bar. But other times, when you're both struggling for something to say, it seems like time is crawling by. Now of course there is no hard and fast rule regarding when you should either ask for the check or drain your drink, but if you are both looking around awkwardly and taking those deep breaths that come with forced smiles at the end, maybe it's time to say see you later. Suddenly ordering another drink, or imploring them to stay a little longer after they suggested maybe ending it, will only prolong the awkwardness and put an even bigger red flag on the night.

But it's important to note that one slightly awkward date does not necessarily mean you won't see them again. Plenty of factors could have made this one experience sub-par, but there's no reason to think why things can't be improved on the second time around. Maybe a restaurant or bar was a bit too stuffy, and hanging out in a park during an afternoon or going to see a movie is a much better fit for both of you.

If it's clear that your date is getting bored, your reaction to realizing this can make or break the rest of the evening and the potential relationship. If you suddenly get grumpy and irritable because you think they are implying that you yourself are boring, chances are no one is going to have a good time. Staying positive and trying to turn the date around is always the right move, even if it doesn't exactly work as you'd hoped.

And if it doesn't, there is no reason to really beat yourself up over as you walk home alone. No matter how well you might get along with someone online, there was always a possibility this affability would not transfer to a face-to-face meeting. If you still think that you'd like to see this person again, text them (but not too much) and maybe make a light joke about the date you'd just had, and suggest a follow up.

If they aren't interested, don't let that discourage you, either. There's absolutely no reason to think that it's your fault, because there's really nothing to be at fault for. You aren't necessarily boring, and neither are they, it's just that the two of you together just had an off-night when it came to meeting a new person. You might just go on another date a week or two later, and find that bringing up the same sort of anecdotes and stories and jokes got a much better reaction with this new person.

If you've gone on several dates, and it seems like the same pattern of the person sitting across from you was getting bored or frustrated, it might be time to consider what small things you can tweak about yourself to make this first impression of yourself a little better. For a lot of people, simple sitting across from someone and talking and listening for hours just isn't an easy thing to do, which makes sense in a lot of ways, because it's not a natural thing to do outside of a work setting.

While always having certain anecdotes or stories ready to call up can help in a pinch, thinking outside the box in terms of meeting people can also help avoid 'date boredom'. If you're comfortable with meeting people online, stick with that for a longer time than most until you really get to know that person. Try to plan meet-ups around shared hobbies (going to a sporting event, or a comic/pop culture convention) instead of going to bars at night. There are many ways to change what a date is, so you don't have to change yourself.

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