If you’ve been dating long enough you are probably well aware of the fact that dates don’t always go perfectly. If you don’t quite know how to handle yourself when a date goes poorly, it’s best to learn as soon as possible to improve your dating reputation, increase your sensitivity, and add to your overall dating skills. Here are a few tips to tactfully end a bad date.

Keep The Date Short
Making your date short to begin with is the best way to exit gracefully if things are not going so well. You don’t have to go out to dinner and a movie, which can last anywhere from 3 to 5 hours. If things aren’t clicking, the date can be a long and painful experience. So plan your dates so they aren’t too long. Anywhere from 1 to 2 hours is plenty of time to have a light, casual, and fun date. Another reason to keep your date short is that you’ll be able to carry the positive momentum from the first date onto the second date (and keep her wanting more) if things do go well.

Tell The Truth
If things are going badly for you and your date it would benefit both of you to honest and end the night early. If there are many lulls in the conversation and there is just no chemistry, tell her you feel the date is dying and that you’d feel better to cut your losses and end the night. If you read the situation correctly she’ll probably be relieved by your suggestion and agree. Be polite and don’t put any blame on your date. Explain things in a way that put the blame on incompatibility instead of a flaw of any one person. And make sure you actually feel the date is a completely lost cause before doing this.

Be Polite And Respectful
Try to avoid doing anything that would upset your date when things aren’t going well. Faking a stomach ache or telling a lie to get away is the worst way you can end a bad date. Instead, try to be more polite and respectful to her feelings and don’t make it completely obvious that you want to get away from her as soon as possible. If you treat her with politeness and respect, there’s a better chance things won’t be as weird between you two in the future. This is especially important if you both spend time around the same social circle.

Don’t Agree To Or Initiate A Second Date
If she doesn’t quite get that the date went badly and that you don’t want another date, be direct about it. If she tries to initiate a second date, tell her that you’d rather just spend time with her as a friend. You can see her in the future as long as there is the understanding that everything is on a friendship level. Many times guys will say things like “I’ll call you some time” when they have no intention of actually following through. Don’t do anything like this and take a direct approach. If you aren’t direct, you leave her guessing which will just make things more complicated for you down the road.