Problem: Article: This is kind of a cliche first step, but it is still preferred by many. If you want a more casual relationship, involving once a week dinner dates, this is a good place to look. You already know that they enjoy nightlife and meeting new people. The local nightlife is a place where strangers from many different backgrounds converge. Who knows, you may intend only to start a casual relationship and meet someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. You and your future boyfriend don't have to have all the same career goals and hobbies. However, a good place to look for people with similar interests is where you spend your time outside work. This will give you ideas for dates you could go on besides going out to dinner. It is also one way to judge their core beliefs and values. For example, if you spend time at church and with religious groups, meeting someone in those circles is a way to ensure they share your beliefs. If you spend a lot of time rock climbing, you may want to meet others there. Time consuming hobbies can overshadow relationships. If you both enjoy the same things, doing hobbies together will take some of the pressure off the relationship. If you have had several unsatisfactory relationships in a row, you may want to ask for recommendations. Friends and family may know who they should set you up with better than you. After all, they are capable of evaluating your personality and needs as an outsider. Make sure to approach someone who is not going to set you up with someone they want to see you with rather than who might make you happy. For example, most parents want what is best for their child. However, determine if they are only setting you up with a guy who corresponds to their sociopolitical beliefs, or earns a certain amount of money. You meet people in the most unexpected places, in everyday situations. Like ripples in the ocean, many simple conversations come and go without anyone noticing. However, a chance encounter with the right person may reveal enough commonalities to turn this ripple into a real wave. Don't go to the grocery store today with the intention of meeting Mr. Right, but don't ignore the people all around you. For example, you might see a regular in your local library reads the same authors that you do. See if he attends any book clubs where you could introduce yourself, or go up to him in the stacks. Some people don't have the luck that others do when it comes to meeting guys in their area. There are a number of internet dating sites that cater to many interests. Many people have had success with internet dating, so you might give it a try. It is a good idea to keep other non-internet options open, even while you have your profile online. Be on the lookout for scams. Unfortunately, there are people throughout the world that prey on the willingness of internet daters to send financial assistance to new boyfriends and girlfriends. Do not send money to someone you have met on the internet.
Summary: Check out the local nightlife. Look where you spend the most time. Ask close friends and family. Keep your head up. Try internet dating.

Problem: Article: Unhook the mat from its retention hooks. Shake it out once you've removed it from your vehicle. Get rid of any loose debris. Close the drain to your bathtub. Add a few drops of mild dish or laundry detergent to the tub. Then fill it about halfway with water. Only use mild detergent. Harsher chemicals and abrasive agents may cause damage. Do not use silicone-based products. These can make your mats unsafe and slippery. Place your mat in the bath. If it's especially dirty, give it anywhere from ten minutes to an hour to soak so the dirt can loosen. Then scrub each side with a sponge, cloth, or cleaning brush. If the bathwater is especially dirty after cleaning, drain the tub and refill with clean water to rinse. Air-dry or towel-dry thoroughly before putting it back in your vehicle. Be sure to place each mat on the appropriate side of the vehicle (driver's side mat on the driver's side, passenger-side mat on the passenger-side). Reattach the retention hooks to hold it in place. With the driver's floor mat, always make sure that the mat doesn't interfere with the pedals before operating the vehicle again.
Summary: Take your mat out and give it a shake. Fill your tub with soapy water. Soak and scrub. Rinse with clean water, dry, and reinstall. Reinstall the mat.

Problem: Article: Bring a notebook and pen to the speech, so you can make note of areas that need improvement. Writing down a shorthand account of what the speaker said will help you to organize the points when it's time to deliver your critique. Being as detailed as possible in your notes will help the speaker understand exactly what to work on for next time. If there are no restrictions against it and you have time, record the speech using either a video camera or a tape recorder. This way, you will have the opportunity to play back the speech more than once to get an idea of what point the speaker was making, as well as how well they said it. Organize your notes so there's a section on content and a section on delivery. Include examples to back up your evaluation of each. Deconstruct the speech by part, starting with the introduction and ending with the conclusion. Give an overall evaluation of whether you felt the main points of the speech were adequately presented and reinforced, and whether you felt the speech as a whole seemed convincing and credible. Would you consider it a successful speech, or does it need to be revised? Tell the speaker what elements of the speech were interesting, which parts were confusing, and which areas need more references to back them up. If there were certain jokes or anecdotes that didn't work, let the speaker know. It's better to be honest now than to let the person tell the same bad joke twice. Tell the speaker whether you felt the speech was appropriate for the intended audience. It is in this area that speakers often need the most feedback, since it's difficult to evaluate your own body language and style. Give the speaker a gentle but honest critique of the effectiveness of his or her body language and delivery, including tone of voice, pacing, eye contact, and posture. It might be helpful to discuss the concept of emotional intelligence, or EQ, which refers to the ability to read an audience and keep people engaged by affecting their emotions. The point of making eye contact, speaking clearly and sounding natural is to make the audience feel as though you care about them and you want them to understand where you're coming from. Helping them feel included will make them more likely to stay engaged. If the speaker seemed nervous, you might suggest that he or she practice techniques that help reduce stage fright, like exercising before the speech, laughing before the speech and practicing in front of a small group of people first. The speaker you're critiquing likely put some time and effort into writing and practicing the speech. Any time you're giving a critique, it's just as important to point out what went right as it is to discuss what needs improvement. If you're working with a student or someone who needs help improving their speech-giving skills, be encouraging and complimentary so they have the confidence to keep working on their skills. Try the feedback sandwich technique: give the person a compliment on an element of their speech, tell them what needs improvement, then give them another compliment. This classic way to deliver constructive criticism makes the medicine go down more easily. For example, you could tell the person he or she started with a brilliant hook, but you were confused about how the second point related to the thesis. However, the conclusion clarified the main point. As a way to encourage the person to keep learning and improving, you might suggest he or she watch videos of speeches given by famous speakers. Point out similarities and differences between the speech you're critiquing and the famous speech.
Summary:
Take detailed notes during the speech. Discuss your assessment of the speech's content. Give feedback on the speaker's delivery. Point out the positive, too.