Friends Forever

While flirting with their friends is a total no-go, you shouldn’t avoid engaging with them altogether.

“Early on, work out who the leader of the group is, especially if they’re on a night out. She’s the one you need to keep onside and the one who will decide if you get to stay with the group,” says Abraham.

Turned Down For What

Fear of rejection is often the biggest factor in a lack of pick-up success. “If you go into a pickup fearing rejection, that’s what you’ll project, and that’s what you’ll get,” says Abraham.

Make the ideal result of an initial opener a simple conversation – not sex, or love, or marriage. By containing the long-term effect to a 10-minute chat, you won’t be too invested if it goes wrong.

Read My Body Language

Keep an eye on the other person’s body language to ensure what you’re doing or saying is not making them feel uncomfortable.

There are many signs and subtleties to keep an eye out for, but as a basic intro, fidgeting and tapping mean they’re possibly uneasy. On the flip side, lip licking and earlobe tugging often mean they’re interested.

No No No No No

Thanks to a deluge of pick-up artists, a generation of men have been taught that ‘negging’, or insulting someone to get their interest, is a legitimate way to find a mate. They are wrong. “We didn’t enjoy it when you were pulling our pigtails in the playground and nothing has changed,” says Devon.

Use this flawed logic and you’ll come across as both insecure and a bully, infinitely lowering your chances.

Love Yourself

Negging is a no-no whether it’s done to someone else or yourself. Leave any inflated ego at the door, but don’t be afraid to be positive when talking about yourself.

“Give the press-release version of you,” says Dr Kate Wachs, a psychologist and author of Relationships for Dummies. “Don’t say anything you wouldn’t mind seeing in four-inch-high letters on the front page of the newspaper the next morning.”