1. Overthinking It

Approaching Women Mistakes : The simple act of walking up to someone and asking them out is endlessly daunting. Fraught with potential missteps, what should be human interaction 101 often becomes an uncertain minefield where the wrong line and even little tics of body language can lead to disaster. So much so, in fact, that a single man called Tom's video of approaching numerous women "offline" – aka in the street – to ask them out has made the internet rounds this week and the moral of the story seems to be: trying to ask women out offline sucks. Don't do it.

More.. HIV Aids in Hollywood: 21 celebrities you didn’t know were HIV positive (With Pictures) 10 Stupid questions men need to stop asking women during sex 5 Nigerian celebrities who hit it big and refuse to move to Lekki (With Pictures) 7 things you never knew you could do with Whatsapp Undoubtedly, there's plenty to get wrong. So, AM's female staffers are going to let you in on a few key pieces of information that will help (they've promised, and everything) from choosing your location (we'd say a bar would've given Tom a better success rate) to letting up on the pick-up lines.

10. Starting Out On The Defensive

Ironically, the mistake a lot of men make when it comes to approaching women is simply fearing the worst. Unless she's got the personality ofDaenerys Targaryen's dragons, it's likely you won't be too badly mauled by anything that's about to happen.

But once you start believing the worst outcome, you’ll immediately be on the backfoot, trying to think of solutions to problems that haven’t even arisen. The last thing you want to do is see any woman as a ‘challenge’ or as though you need to learn any ‘tricks‘ to persuade her to talk to you.

Forget what you’ve heard, approaching a woman is not about game-playing. The dating guru has died a long, painful death. Women (fun, nice women that you’d actually enjoy spending time with) will always rather get to know a friendly guy who means what he says than someone who’s trying to play games.

Face Palm: I know you've probably got a boyfriend, but...

9. Approaching Women In The Wrong Place There is no point striking up conversation with a potential partner if they're in a situation where they don’t feel like flirting. A prime example of a no-go area? The gym, where most likely people want to be left alone to, you know, work out. Let's say the gym is the training ground equivalent of a football field... the place where women get warmed up watching all the testosterone flying around them but are waiting for the real match to kick the ball (and no, this isn't a metaphor for pain).

Stick to bars and restaurants where she's prepared to be social, and the buzzy atmosphere means you can casually make conversation with less fear of obvious rejection. Other options? Friends of friends, activity groups and evening classes can be a brilliant way to meet people with whom you share similar interests.

Face Palm: "Hey, can I be your yoga mat? He he... he." NO.

8. Assuming She's Out 'On The Pull' Can we all agree that going out with mates is fun, dancing is fun and drinking is fun? This will presumably surprise some men, but the truth is that these are the most common reasons women will be together on a night out.

Sometimes groups of friends will be happy to include you in the party, but not everyone's into making friends with strangers who are bigger and stronger (and hairier) than they are. If you get the vibe that you’ve interrupted a night that you’re not welcome on (if she’s not continuing the conversation, if she’s more interested in her friends) then just amicably excuse yourself to the bar and carry on with your night. Face Palm: "Hey... You're easily the best looking out of your friends. Want a drink?" 7. Being Too Drunk Unless she enjoys taking pity on vulnerable animals (or she's just as plastered as you are) most of us don't want to spend time with a guy we have to force feed water to during a night out. You're also way more likely to get distracted from the woman you're trying to talk to by other women (an immediate red flag), slur your words and just be generally unapologetic and annoying. Until you're well into a relationship, avoid getting too drunk. Even then, don't tell her we said it's OK.

Face Palm: "Heyyyyyy, ishhhit ok if I buy you a drunk? Hic." 6. Using Pick-up Lines Yep, this includes "You have a great smile." There is nothing cheesier, less interesting or more of a turn-off than a guy who uses a standard opening line. Why? It shows you can't depend on your own personality or confidence to make conversation. Whatever you do, a simple, "Hello my name is..." is better than any canned line ever written.

Face Palm: "I need to hop over to Facebook for a second to change my status to smitten." 5. Not Asking Questions

Nerves can get the best of even the most seasoned conversationalists, but if you're nervous it's always best to let her do the talking rather than bragging like a lad on the uni football team. Asking questions about her shows you're a considerate guy, and there's more of a chance she'll feel a connection – which will make it much easier to get a date at the end of that awkward first conversation.

Face Palm : "I'm a law graduate with my own business, a riverside apartment and an overinflated sense of how interesting this all is to any other living person..."

Make sure the woman you’re interested in is the woman you’re focusing on. If you’re spending all your energy talking to her friend (maybe you’re just trying to be polite or maybe you're too nervous to talk directly to the woman you're interested in) she’s going to think you’re interested in her friend, not her. Additionally, there are few things in life worse than when a man starts chatting away with us and we soon find out he only wanted a way in with our mate (we’ll probably talk shit about you later to our friend who you did like, as well). Face Palm: "So what are you two doing later?"

3. Being Too Touchy Personal space is a real thing and should be kept just that, unless you get the go-ahead from the person you’ve got your eye on. How far that space falls all depends on where you are – if you’re in an everyday location like the supermarket, don’t get any closer than you would if you were giving a stranger directions. If you’re in a bar or club at night, and everyone’s had a few drinks, space can get a little tighter, but getting so close that they can feel the heat of your breath is just, frankly, creepy.

As a general rule – whether it's approaching a woman you don’t yet know, or progressing things further once you make it to the bedroom, just echo the movements she makes towards you. Wait for her to move closer, and then do that too. Still don’t do this in the supermarket. Face Palm: "Oh wow, I can see your pupils dilating"... Take a few steps back, pal. The last thing you want to do is waste 20 minutes of both her time and your own if she's dating someone else. Find out if she's single early. If she’s not, move on. Most of the time it’s information women won’t offer up immediately because, honestly, it’s nice to get hit on even if you're taken. We're not above enjoying some attention now and again. So take it upon yourself to find out early.

Face Palm: "Hey, can I come say hi?" “Um, sorry, I’ve got a boyrfreind…” “Ohhhh... I just wanted to tell you you've got some food on your face…” 1. Overthinking It

Ever find yourself concentrating too much on how a woman is reacting to you rather than on the conversation taking place? You know when you catch yourself thinking about whether her laugh five seconds earlier sounded forced or not? That just happened. And that's when you really should be reacting to her banter, not evaluating her responses. If anything, try thinking of approaching a woman as starting a conversation with a good friend – be casual about it, be a good listener and let her talk. Another way to think about it: If it works out you'll gain a date. If it doesn't, what are you really losing? Face Palm: "But WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!" *puts hands in pockets and slowly walks away* -By AskMen CLICK HERE to join our BBM Channel for faster updates TOP POSTS YESTERDAY The long list of men Kim Kardashian has slept with – #6 will leave you in a big shock! 10 celebs living with deadly diseases (With Pictures) Hottest students in Redeemers University for 2015 – Male & Female (With Pics) 8 Top Nigerian celebrities who look way older than their age – their ages will shock you! (With Pictures) Top Nigerian celebrities who are best of friends – You’ll be shocked! (+Photos) The wealth and expensive lifestyle of Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde – See how she spends her millions (With Pictures) For one week, I decided to SLEEP with my boyfriend whenever he wanted (Here’s what happened) LADIES: How to make love to a man that he will NEVER forget you.. 31 wildest and exciting sex positions you probably never tried and need to (18+ With Pics) Top 10 Richest women in Africa right now and their worth – See who’s number 1! (With Pictures) The 6 most humble Nigerian celebrities – #3 is a shy billionaire! (With Pictures) The hottest students in Caleb University for 2015 – Male & Female (With Pics) Top 10 Gorgeous hairstyles Nigerian men love to see on their women (With Pictures)