Rules of the game change for modern men and women

Rules of the game change for modern men and womenAccording to dating coaches at TheModernMan.com, there are two sides to the 'modern woman' that men need to be aware of to be successful at dating in 2009. Understanding both is an important first step in men and women getting along in today's dating scene.

They say that the rise of the 'corporate woman' is causing distinct changes in the way that men and women interact with each other on a day-to-day basis. These changes are introducing new romantic challenges that most modern men are struggling to adapt to.

TheModernMan.com creator Dan Bacon, who has personally spoken to approximately 5,000 women over the past 5 years in his quest to figure out what makes women swoon, said that women want to be treated a certain way by men in the corporate world, but step outside the office and it's a totally different story.

"With more and more women entering higher ranks in the corporate world, communication styles and modes of interaction between men and women are changing," said Dan.

"When men and women interact in an office environment, the focus is on respectful, non-sexual communication to avoid what may be considered as inappropriate behaviour by either party.

"Modern men and women have been conditioned to behave in this almost impersonal manner."

But beyond the boardroom, the expectations of women change said Dan, and many men are unaware of how to switch from one style of interaction to the other, which places men and women at loggerheads.

"Away from work, women and men need to embrace playful interactions involving teasing and flirting, which requires a change in approach particularly for guys.

"Men need step up in social environments and allow women to take on their natural, feminine role - women rarely want to be responsible for driving a social or romantic interaction forward.

"This means a man's behaviour needs to be masculine, assertive and sexual in nature, which can feel a little uncomfortable because its frowned upon in other circumstances in his life.

"When a woman in 2009 says she looking for a nice guy, it doesn't mean she wants a carbon copy of that quiet, polite guys she works with- it means she wants someone with confidence and charisma who has a sexual strength about him."

Dan said an increase in online dating and the use of tools like Facebook was also contributing to new male-female communication challenges.

"It's almost as if men and women have forgotten how to interact in the flesh and there's a hesitation and lack of confidence we see in many of our male clients when they first turn to us for help.

"Instead of looking at someone's stats online - their height, weight, age and a few sentences that describe their life - it's time for men and women to get out there and meet each other face-to-face.

"So much more can be achieved within a few minutes of face-to-face conversation than during weeks or months of online interaction."

After five years of coaching men one-on-one and conducting seminars across Australia, TheModernMan has condensed all knowledge into a range of dating guides for men, including an 8-hour video recording called Dating Power.