It's an oft-heard lament among my female friends and not an entirely an unreasonable one. When it comes to guys, we just cannot tell what they're after.

Sometimes they'll flirt outrageously until we are ripe with self-confidence and can practically visualise the his'n'hers' bath towels – and then drop in that tiny little reference to their fiancee. And then with others, they'll seemingly show no interest, avoid all subtle suggestions for a drink and only later do we discover – normally when they're happily coupled up with a more psychically inclined woman – that they were into us all along.

Despite rumours and wishful thinking to the contrary, female intuition lies in the "face of Jesus appearing on a pint glass" category of miracles, also known as the "load of cobblers". In short, it would be much simpler for all involved if men, and women, were straight forward about what they wanted.

For once, I am not alone in thinking this, as one of New York's premier dating coaches has just come out and said much the same; and when it comes to dating I am inclined to take a New Yorker's view as gospel.

Chad Diego De la Vega makes a living out of training men to do better in the dating game, putting them through their paces at the Charisma Art school, United Press International reports.

In a typical New Yorker fashion, he argues that dating should be like business and employs coaches to convey this message in a three day course aimed at transforming romantic losers into seasoned Casanovas.

Idle chit chat, or "banter" as we Brits prefer to call it should be eschewed in favour of a more pragmatic conversation, which should clearly establish whether the man is looking for friendship or Ms Right – and whether he sees the lady in question as fitting either of these roles.

It might sound unromantic but the Charisma Art school argues that it is an essential approach in a world where women just don't get men – although I would like to point out that this works both ways – and find it hard to second guess what their intentions are. By making intentions and impressions clear from the start, this approach minimises the opportunity for misconstruing signals, which the school would like to claim ends in fewer frustrated singles.