Kathlyn Hotynski

You’re sitting at a table. A stranger of the opposite sex sits down. You have less than five minutes to decide if there’s that “spark.”

Ready . go!

Speed dating has gained popularity in the United States, hosting events in cities across the country, including Eau Claire.

Religious organizations, online dating services and other organizations all sponsor speed dating events.

Television shows like “Gilmore Girls,” “Monk” and “Sex and the City” have all featured the event in at least one episode, according to network Web sites.

Colleges like the University of Pennsylvania have conducted studies on the topic.

But what is this fast dating style? And who came up with it? How does it work? And what do the experts say?

All in good time, my friend. All in good time.

Five-minute dating? I thought that was called a one-night stand!

Speed dating originated in Los Angeles in the 1990s, according to originaldating.com.

Jewish rabbi Yaacov Deyo is credited with inventing speed dating. He came up with the idea as a way for single Jewish men and women to meet.

Deyo devised the idea of an equal number of men and women meeting, spending a short time with each other and then marking if they want to meet with the person again or not, according to the Web site.

The original system of speed dating had the women placed in seats and the men moving around the room. This format is still widely used.

Hi my name is . I’m interested in . I enjoy that too . What about . BEEP.

Eau Claire resident Tami Schraufnagel helps organize speed dating events in Eau Claire. The events are sponsored by the Eau Claire Jaycees, a local social organization.

A member of the organization who was single brought up the idea of speed dating, Schraufnagel said. Once the group decided to host the event, they came up with a speed dating program.

In order to participate, participants must first register on the group’s Web site and pay the $15 fee, Schraufnagel said. After a person pays, they are sent a confirmation and later a reminder of the event.

On the night of the event, participants show up 15 to 20 minutes early. The women are seated at tables and paired with a man. After five minutes the man moves to a different table, Schraufnagel said. Before they move to the next person, the man and woman mark down on a scorecard if they want meet with the person again.

Junior Danny Lorenz said that four minutes isn’t enough time to really get to know a person.

“I don’t think you can figure out who someone is in four minutes,” he said.

At the end of the event, the scorecards are collected and tabulated, Schraufnagel said. If two people both want to meet with each other, they are a match.

“We give the information to both the guy and girl and it’s their job to get in contact,” she said.

Adele Testani, director of Offline Events for HurryDate.com said their events work in the same way. The company hosts over 1,200 speed dating events for people ages 21 to 50 in 40 cities nationwide each year and has hosted over 2.6 million speed dates since 2001.

Schraufnagel said the Eau Claire Jaycees sponsors about three speed dating events for men and women each year. Each event has two age group categories, 24 to 37 and 34 to 47. However, Schraufnagel said the group would be open to the idea of a younger group if there was interest.

Lorenz said he has never tried speed dating and doesn’t think he would.

“I think people would be fake,” he said. “It would be awkward.”

Overall, Schraufnagel said, the events have been successful. Most events have sold out, and there are usually waiting lists for others. One couple that met at the first speed dating event recently became engaged Schraufnagel said.

Testani said HurryDate.com has also been very successful.

“We have had lots of engagements and marriages,” she said. “But I think that if a person is just getting out there and meeting new people, that is a success too.”

Schraufnagel advised participants to be comfortable and open-minded.

Testani agreed.

“Don’t go in there and bottle off your resume,” she said. “Just try to have a conversation.”

I said what I mean, you mean what you say

UW-Eau Claire professor Terry Chmielewski, an expert in male-female communication, said males and females communicate differently.

Men are more competitive in their talk and talk less, while women talk more.

Even though women do more of the talking, men have more control, Chmielewski said.

Lorenz said he thinks people’s communication skills are based on personalities, not gender.

“I think people in general are different,” he said. “I don’t know if you could just put that on sex.”

Men and women also talk about different things, Chmielewski said.

Women tend to talk about relationships and feelings, while men talk about tasks and getting things done, he said.

Chmielewski said the two genders also differ in nonverbal conversation.

“Women make more eye contact with their partners,” he said. “Men don’t.”

While Chmielewski said connection time between two people varies, he doesn’t believe speed dating is effective.

“I would think a person going into that situation to find a partner is silly,” he said.

Chmielewski suggests the same idea as speed dating coordinators.

“Do it for the immediate enjoyment,” he said. “Not because you’re looking for a significant other.”

So that’s it. Speed dating is favored by some, loathed by others. The hosts claim its success, while the experts are weary of it.

But there is one for-sure agreement between both supporters and opponents.

“Just try to have fun with it,” Testani said. “Try not to take it too seriously. Get out there and have fun.”

Jacoby is a junior print journalism major and a columnist for The Spectator. “The Flash in My Pan” appears every Monday.