I did a radio interview the other day about how Barack Obama kept asking his future wife for a date until she said ‘yes’. In his case persistence paid off. The issues are how often should you ask and many times.

Men need to read the signs that say she’s maybe interested or she’s not. Women have 52 come-on signals and, while I’m not going to list them here, touch is one of the classics. Guys, if she touches you it means you’re OK and the more she touches the more OK you are. If she doesn’t touch it usually means that she’s not interested in you at all.

As for how often, the answer is not to pester her. If you repeatedly ask in a short space of time, you’re come across as being desperate. And nobody wants to be involves with someone who is desperate.

So let’s say you should ask no more than five times and leave a gap of a few days between each time you ask.

Here are my five tops tips to make you a super star at small talk…

• Practise small talk with people you meet in everyday situations such as shop assistants, waiters and strangers on the bus and train.
• Read a lot and watch the news so you have something to say about what’s happening in the world.
• Do it where you feel more comfortable. You might find it easier to talk to strangers in a bookshop or coffee shop than a club or bar.
• Don’t drink to help you relax and loosen up. It will only make you seem dippy.
• Don’t take rejection personally. You can’t expect to hit it off with everyone.

Email me if you want to know more about improving your social skills.

On 21 & 22 April I’m running a weekend workshop in Nottingham. It’s called “How to Find, Attract & Keep Your One” where you’ll discover the secrets of finding a perfect partner.

You’ll learn where and how to meet your soulmate. How to approach them and look confident and relaxed. How to make small talk, and sound like the interesting person you are. How to flirt and use your body language to make people feel comfortable. And finally, you’ll learn the secrets of seduction.

Life’s too short to miss out. So for details and to book go to www.thedatingdoctor.co.uk/weekend/

I recently did a interview on BBC Radio about a survey that the BBC had just completed on “what makes a woman feel good”.

The THIRD most mentioned thing was being told “I love you”.

The SECOND most mentioned thing was being told “You’ve lost weight”.

And what makes MOST women feel best of all is ‘being chatted up by a stranger’.

Check out my audio file at http://www.thedatingdoctor.co.uk/ to see how to do it!