- You can be professional without an ounce of authenticity. Ever met someone like that?
- You can be polite, without an ounce of kindness. Ever met someone like that?
Funny story: At the end of one of my classes, a participant said this "You had me at the word 'fuck'!"
That person, and everyone else in the room was fully engaged, entertained and getting effectively educated. In this one persons case, it was SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I swore. She said that she knew she could trust me when she saw me exhibit my understanding of their world, and their work environment. Sometimes swearing in a classroom is the verbal equivalent of putting on work clothes when on a construction site.
Sometimes in our current world, I think people misconstrue professionalism and get so focused on presenting perfectly that they forget... we're all just people. Swearing is one of many tools in my instructional toolbox used as just that a "TOOL" to create relatability and connection SO THAT we can foster engagement and learning.