Girls, I need some insight. How do you react or feel when a guy just comes up and starts talking to you? (date, how to)

[OMGosh Josh]

Whenever I go out with my buddies and we spot a cute girl, they're always pushing me to go talk to her, but I've never been able to figure out exactly how to go about it without it being weird and awkward.

I've always thought it'd be weird if someone I didn't know just came up started talking to me.

What's the best way to approach this? I know everybody says "just be yourself" which is fine, because I never try to be somebody I'm not.

But it just feels so awkward to just approach a girl I don't know and TRY to start a conversation.

You gals got any input?

[Twinkle Toes]

Depends on the situation. If I am out jogging by myself at night and some guy came up to me and tried to talk, I'd probably whip up on him with some jiu jitsu. If it were any place else, I'd probably be fine with it and I'd even talk to him.

[JeepGirl118]

In a bar/restaurant - send a drink over to test the water and if she is interested (and has any common decency) she will walk over herself to thank you. . wa-la! Now you don't have to walk over to her and you put it in her court. I thought most men knew this. ;-)

I do not feel awkward if a guy approaches me to talk. I know how to send out the 'it's not happenin'' vibes when need be.

[OMGosh Josh]

My buddies all say it's usually a good idea to let the girl talk about herself a lot, but I've always felt that most girls aren't the stereotypical teeny-bopper.

Conversations are a two-way street, my problem is knowing what to talk about, haha.

[temptation001]

When guys approach me, its always awkward at first. Then if I am interested, I overlook the awkwardness and make sure I am open enough to where we can hook up and meet later on for a date or just as friends. I usually don't date a guy right away, I prefer to get to know him better as friends first, then we go on a date after maybe a month or sometimes even less if he is really charming.

[mwv]

Not girl but: context always drives perception. It's just plainly not possible to start up a conversation on the street or on public transportation without coming across as intrinsically weird.

What tends to lower barriers is being in a physical place or circumstance that acts as a gate keeper. When some level of exclusion has been created it's much more possible to interact with other people without coming off inherently as a threat. That gate keeping can be a lot simpler than you might think- a bar, a party, a music venue, can all work.

You might not realize that such relatively public places are indeed perceived a lot differently than just being on a sidewalk, but they typically are.

What most guys lack is balls; they fear failure. Getting use to being snubbed is an important skill to learn in life- most people will snub you politely, anyway. Learn, through experience, to read body language and voice inflection; you can tell pretty fast if someone has taken a liking to you or not.

[lizzy_09]

In my point of view, I think it depends on the kind of girl you want to approach. Is she an Uptown Girl? Elusive? Flirt? Romantic? Desperate? Etc. You'd have to check her out first? Another one that you've got to consider is where you are? At a bar? In the gym? Park? Etc. Once you've laid this out, then you can decide how to approach her.

[le roi]

You have a 'sketchiness factor' to consider.

Approaching her while she's alone, walking down the street at night, factor is high.
Approaching her at a bar, she doesn't know you at all, factor is moderate.
Approaching her in a group of mutual friends, "She's heard a lot about you" from someone you both know, factor is zero.

I'd say most guys go for the low hanging fruit. Friends will try to talk you into going for that big, awkward moment, because it will be hilarious when you crash and burn with them all watching. If you want to break out into "You've lost that loving feelin'", I've seen that done before, Top Gun-style. Personally, I pick and choose, put myself in situations where it isn't awkward. You're in college, the best advice I could give is to always sit next to a hot girl in class.

[aoifster]

the most important thing to remember if you approach a girl is PAY ATTENTION TO HER REACTION. if she is giving one sentance answers to your questions, keeps looking over at her friends ect then just politely say it was nice talking to you and move on! you can tell within 2 mins if she is interested in talking to you.
nothing makes a girl more uncomfterbale than a guy who comes over and just wont leave you alone!
starting a conversation with someone is fine but just be prepared for the fact that she may be taken/not interested ect..
personally i dont like guys approaching me to talk, im shy and it makes me embarrased, but thats mainly because i have a BF and hate the awkwardness of someone hitting on me when they obviously have zero chance! however i would never think badly of a guy just for trying to talk to me, its only if they insist on ignoring the very strong 'not intersted' vibes i give off that i start to get pissed!
just be brave, pay attention and dont overstay your welcome!

[stan4]

Sometimes you can figure out if she's interested well before you even get within a few feet. If you smile at me and I roll my eyes, that is not an invitation to come talk.

Also, if I appear deeply engaged in something else (reading, etc), I am likely not interested. Trust me, I know you are there, and if I wanted to make it easy for you to talk to me, I wouldn't look so terribly fascinated in my book.