Today is one of those days! Getting up this morning was just painful. It was cold and I guess I just wasn't in the mood. But I'm here! I suppose it's just one of the things you get used to when working. 
Its interesting how much people differ. Today we've seen both ends of the spectrum. Our first interviewee was very relaxed and concerned about us. She went as far as showing us the tea room and telling us that we can have coffee if while we wait. Our next candidate was an enigma. While continuously winking he told us that he does not have time to do the interview or to email the questionnaire until August. It was unclear if he was being serious or joking and as there was nothing we could do we are left to assume that the researcher is not willing to cooperate. This was a good lesson in how to handle difficult people, although I would like to know how this situation would be handled in a corporate environment. I can definitely report that this experience is having a positive influence on my people skills and that I am becoming more comfortable approaching people. I am still almost dreading the presentation (my Achilles heal) but in future I feel confident that whether I'm the interviewer or the interviewee, I will be more prepared and relaxed.
Being just as guilty of not practising good time management I can't really fault the scientist for sending us away or preferring to just mail the surveys. However I found it very professional of the researchers that scheduled the interview for when they can fit it in. It saved us the trouble of looking for them and the inconvenience of an interruption. Another thing that struck me today was how well these scientists practise crisis management - even as an excuse not to do the interview. All in all it was a good day - and we even managed to schedule a couple of interviews ourselves. Maybe my time management is not that bad!?!
