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DRESS TO IMPRESS. When you’re out and about, wear an outfit that helps you feel your most confident. “Everything’s an opportunity,” Schwartz says. “I don’t care if you’re going even to the

drugstore to pick up sleeping pills — go looking nice.” YOU HAVE SOMEONE’S ATTENTION. WHAT NOW? START A QUALITY CONVERSATION. Once you see someone you may be interested in, the first move to

make, Schwartz says, is to try to strike up a conversation. Ideally, you want to move away from a quick compliment — “I like your shirt” can easily be met with a quick “yes,” then fizzle —

to something that will get people talking. If you’re in line for a plane, Schwartz says to make a fun comment like “Here I am in another line. That seems to be my life lately. Waiting in

lines for airplanes.” The other person, she says, will likely say, “Oh, do you travel a lot?” From there, the conversation has space to take off. Or you could be a bit playful and say

something like “I like your shirt. My ex-husband had one just like it.” You could also say, “Where did you get your boots? I want to get my son a pair just like that.” After a nice chat, you

can say, “Would you like to grab coffee sometime and continue this conversation?” If you ask someone out and they aren’t single, don’t panic, Schwartz says. Most people, if you ask

respectfully enough, will take it as a sign of flattery. RESIST THE URGE TO COMMENT ON SOMEONE’S LOOKS. Though you may want to lead with “I like your eyes” or “boy, are you beautiful,”

Schwartz says you’re better off finding common ground to talk about. Getting too flirtatious too fast can make someone feel uncomfortable, she says. “People — particularly over 50, 60, 70 —

might come from a place where they haven’t been with anyone for a very long time. And they might be shocked or uncomfortable or even wonder, particularly with women to men, what the

motivations here really are,” Schwartz says. Focus on being engaging, friendly and interested, she advises. And don’t be too pushy. If you ask them to give you their number or meet up a

couple of times and they shut you down, take the hint. FIND COMMON GROUND. When it comes to reaching out to a dating prospect online, try tossing in a dose of humor. “Pretend they are

already friends, and write in that manner. No boring ‘Hi, how’s your weekend?’ or ‘Wow, you are so pretty’ — those messages just get ignored,” McGinty says. Schwartz adds that it can be

beneficial to find some aspect of a person’s profile that you click with and call that out in your debut message. For instance, if someone you are interested in pursuing writes about fly

fishing and you genuinely are into that as well — send them a message and strike up a conversation about fishing. AVOID CERTAIN TOPICS. When it comes to conversations to avoid in an initial

meeting, these are Schwartz’s top three: “Don’t talk about everything wrong with you. Don’t talk about health scares or health issues. Don’t talk about your grandchildren or your children,”

she says. This helps to keep the focus on allowing the person to get to know you and keeps things light and fun.