I never thought of training as a “warm and fuzzy,” but I get it now. I suppose training is to business like the study of literature, speech and theatre is to the study of business and management analysis. When I taught English and speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy, I taught those “warm and fuzzy” subjects to future pilots, astronauts and other officers who would leave the Academy with the equivalent of an engineering degree no matter what their major. There was no English major by the way, and certainly not theatre, although we did have a film club, a speech forensics club and a drama club. So there was interest in those “fuzzy” subjects even if they did seem off point to the cadet career goals; some actually liked them, but wouldn’t admit it for fear of being uncool.
Imagine the challenge of teaching these “warm and fuzzy” subjects to students who think in “black and white.” I wanted them to look at gray areas, have opinions and back them up, and I wanted their creativity. If I’ve got it wrong, I’m sure you’ll tell me. There is a reason why we call these subjects the humanities; it is because they make us human. I have a hard time putting training (although education works) in that same category, I think there are similarities in this context and it is the same force at work.
I believe it was my job as a teacher of “fuzzy” subjects, as now, to take those “warm and fuzzy” subjects and demonstrate their relevance in the real world. When you’re a teenager, even a smart one, you still see the world in black and white. I probably won’t surprise you that I delighted in getting them to see the gray areas and venture out in the colorful creative world.
Funny thing. We admire those heroes who think outside the organization protocols; if what they do benefit us, we are happy.
If you’re interested in seeing what a guy does with the theatre arts under the of training and development, I have a training blog, translated into 60 some languages, and I am author of the Cave Man of Training and Development. By the way, “caveman” is not misspelled, but a “Cave” way at looking at the place we work and learn as the similar Cave as the caveman had, and looking at training from that perspective. To use on overused term, outside the box. My blog articles there tend to be longer and I use my background in theatre, education, psychology, training at the corporate level, my military experience and civil service.
Not all actors, act all the time. I was fortunate to a have a real job and do some professional theatre and commercials, although often I wish I had poured more energy into the theatre and did wait on tables until the next show came along. Who knows how different life would be? I did learn an actor learns more than just acting, an insight into reality in much the way a psychologist gains insight into behavior.
Here’s the link for my Training and Education Blog at The Free Management Library. BTW, if you are interested in reviews I also write for STAGE Magazine from time to time.