COMMUNICATION: How To Flirt, Start Conversations And Keep Them Going? The Art Of Succesful Flirting and Dating | Page 4

Flirting is officially somewhat more restricted in learning-places
than in drinking-places, as education is supposed to take priority
over purely social concerns, but in many cases the difference is
not very noticeable. Taking a course or evening class may in fact
provide more opportunities for relaxed, enjoyable flirting than
frequenting bars and night-clubs.

Workplace
At work, flirting is usually acceptable only in certain areas, with
certain people and at specific times or occasions. There are no
universal laws: each workplace or working environment has its
own unwritten etiquette governing flirtatious behaviour.
In some companies, the coffee machine or cafeteria may be the
unofficial 'designated flirting zones', other companies may frown
on any flirting during office hours, or between managers and
staff, while some may have a long-standing tradition of jokingly
flirtatious morning greetings.
Careful observation of colleagues is the best way to discover the
unspoken flirting etiquette of your own workplace – but make
sure that you are guided by the behaviour of the most highly
regarded individuals in the company, not the office 'clown',
'groper' or 'bimbo'.

Participant sports/hobbies
Almost any participant sport or hobby can involve flirting. The
level of flirtatious behaviour, however, often tends to be inversely related to the standards achieved by participants and
their enthusiasm for the activity.
You will generally find a lot of flirting among incompetent tennis players, unfit swimmers, cack-handed potters, etc.,
but somewhat less among more proficient, serious, competitive participants in the same activities. There are of course
exceptions to this rule, but before joining a team or club, it is worth trying to find out if the members have burning
ambitions to play in the national championships or win prestigious awards for their handiwork. If you are mainly
looking for flirting opportunities, avoid these high-flying groups, and seek out clubs full of happy, sociable underachievers.

Spectator events
Although they have the advantage of providing
conversation topics of mutual interest, most sporting
events and other spectator pastimes such as theatre or
cinema are not particularly conducive to flirting, as
social interaction is not the primary purpose of the
occasion, and social contact may limited to a short
interval or require 'missing the action'.
The most striking exception to this rule is horseracing,
where all the 'action' takes place in just a few minutes,
the half-hour interval between races is dedicated to
sociability, and friendly interaction between strangers is
actively encouraged by racecourse etiquette. In fact, our
own recent research on the behaviour of racegoers
indicates that the 'social micro-climate' of the
racecourse makes it one of the best flirting
environments in Britain.