Chances are, you're hesitant to believe that you can learn a lot about a girl in the first 3-5 minutes that you're around them. And chances are that you may lack the confidence needed to jump right out there and be expressive about yourself in that same short period. Enter the relatively new concept called "Speed Dating" --- breaking the ice at the speed of sound. By the way, it is not defined as the fastest way to meet a woman and take her home to bed. Here's a few tips on how to do it properly.

#1- Before you focus on a woman, focus on your appearance

Tat first impression of how you look to her can make or break the rest of the evening. In most instances, when a woman goes out she dresses attractively yet not too seductively. Mostly she wants to appear that she is looking for an enjoyable evening out. For gosh sakes guys, leave the jeans and that tee shirt advertising your favorite bar or baseball team in the drawer at home and break out the Dockers and a nice polo shirt. Besides that, looking better than the average Joe in the place helps you stand out from the crowd.

#2- Relax, put a smile on your face and watch the body language

It doesn't matter how self-confident you are, you're still going to have "butterflies" in your stomach. You're a liar if you deny this, unless your ego comes with it's own zip code. Then you're not a liar --- most likely, you're a jackass. Relax and smile. It helps things start much more smoothly and will lead to positive results. Secondly, watch that body language. Sit up straight, keep your hands visible, and occasionally use some hand gestures to emphasize a point you are trying to make.

#3- Don't booze it up before or during an encounter

Two of the key aspects with speed dating is the attention and wittiness factors. Too much alcohol not only dulls the senses, but hurts being able to maintain attentiveness and wit. Besides that, a woman in a social setting gets bombarded left and right with enough come-ons and stupid pick-up lines. You don't want to get branded as "Instant JACKASS! Just add alcohol."

#4- Focus on her and keep the conversation interesting

When you focus on her, it lets her know that she has your interest. Be careful what "parts" of her you focus on. Statistics prove that she receives the most encouraging feedback about you if you focus on her eyes 70% of the time, and her mouth and the surrounding features the other 30%. You want to stimulate conversation by asking more open-ended questions such as "If you had the chance to meet any one person in the entire world, who would it be?" These types of questions not only stimulate conversation as well as thinking, but it helps her realize that you care about her enough to ask her opinion on something that is more meaningful than "Where do you work?"