The latest trend in training is to steer away from lectures and presentations in the format of lengthy spoken lessons with little or no interaction with the audience. And that is why training institutions are taking the lead from the military. OK, while at a non-military boot camp you will not be running up and down, wake up at 4 in the morning, fight for food, and run from atomic bombs*, but you will be required to DO the work rather than only listen to what is expected from you when you attempt to do the work AFTER the training.

This notion of this type of training is not a new one, as mentioned before, the military has been using it for centuries, so too does the medical field. I have never met anybody who ever doubted that any licensed medical doctor passed their practical training. That kind of thinking is just ridiculous! The reason why that thought is so preposterous is that the global standard for their training indicates that there must be a practical component in their formal training.

Why should any other profession be different? Would it not be nice if you enter a business that offers strategic solutions, to not doubt that they can actually do it? I would think so! For that very reason, Pétanque wants to ensure that anybody who learns to do what we do, DOES it while on training.

Imagine if your first grade teacher made you sit in a classroom and explained to you how to write, without you having to do it yourself with your thick brown pencil and paper that tore every time you tried to use the eraser… Trust me, boot camping is the way of the future!

* My distorted view of the military comes from watching GI Jane – so if your view differs: take it up with Hollywood…

By Jeanne Fredericks