June Blog

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR DATING SKILLS

You Should Commit to at least three matches with a date.

When you work with a professional matchmaking service like MTN Matchmaking, every match is vetted, analyzed, and hand-selected for real compatibility. But even with that groundwork, the magic (read: chemistry) doesn’t always happen on the first date. And that’s why our founder and CEO, Maureen Tara Nelson, recommends giving each match at least three dates.

The MTN Compatibility Method

Maureen uses her exclusive three-part compatibility analysis before suggesting a single match for her clients, which includes:

Their five best qualities: It’s part of everyone’s homework, to think of their five best qualities as well as their five must-haves.
In-depth interview: Maureen spends at least an hour assessing values, intentions, and non-verbal cues during the interview process, and needs to make sure her assessment matches with what clients are telling her in Part 1.
Personality test: It’s administered right after the interview by Maureen for the client, about the client, and without the client, provided we are a good match for one another. This practice captures the authentic behavior of the new client. And this is how she then selects her compatible matches when Matchmaking on Monday Matchmaking days.

Only when someone meets your three core areas of compatibility, and your five must-haves do they make it to your match list.

So why three dates?

Because first impressions aren’t everything.

Nerves can cloud judgment. On a first date, people may hold back, play it safe, or struggle to relax. But by the third date, something shifts. You see more of the real person—their humor, energy, kindness, and how they respond when things don’t go perfectly. That’s when genuine connection solidifies (or doesn’t).

By date three, you’re in a better place to ask: