I’ve always been uncomfortable with the phrase, “Professional Development”. The very wording seems corporate and cold, lacking any kind of appeal or engagement.
For me, the implications of the term “professional development” seem to lean towards the organisation benefiting more than the person themselves. Which isn’t a bad thing – goodness knows that organisations need an ongoing focus on continuous improvement. But the key players in making these improvements happen need to be the focus of PD.
I have to say, I prefer the term “personal development” over professional. I’d much prefer to conduct a session where the participant becomes enthusiastic about the content, not only because of the professional implications, but because of the personal connection.
For example, if a participant is in a Web 2.0 technologies session, rather than have them think, “Yeah, I can see how this would work in the workplace”, I’d much rather them think, “Hey, I can see how this would work for me!”.
By encouraging that personal connection with the technology, the participant is far more likely to embrace it – and not just in a professional, ‘benefit to the workplace’ kind of way.
By nurturing the interest and familiarity with the technology, greater benefits to all – the individual, the organisation – will come through a flow-on effect. By having that personal connection, the participant will be more likely to use their imagination in regards to how the technology can be used. Which means that when the time comes to use that technology in the organisation, they already have a person fully-versed, enthusiastic and open-minded about effective ways to use it.
Individual first, organisation second. Then everybody wins.
