2.2 How long does it take to train someone?

It takes as long as it must, but no longer!

There is no point in running ineffective training. That’s why you must use approaches that are shown to work and avoid those that don’t. You don’t have an infinite amount of time though. Initially, you want people to reach an acceptable standard that means they can do what they were hired to do, and aren’t creating problems and more work for others.

In practical terms, you need to give people a chance to practice. You need to provide time for them to receive feedback on that practice. Then they need time to practice again. You may need time for them to refer to information or to present it to them.

This means that apart from the most basic (but still important!) “this is where you find the staples” kind of training, people are unlikely to learn much of value in half an hour. If you’ve constructed something very well, then in an hour, you could manage a cycle (or more) of practice, feedback/review, practice, review and close. Often that will be too short.

If you believe your group could learn everything they need to in half an hour, you need to consider whether they really need training at all. They might be fine just reading something about it.

Estimates like this are wrong by definition. It depends on the complexity of the skill, the size of the group and their existing knowledge. We are not saying that you can never have a half hour training session, nor that you will always be able to train people effectively in an hour! We’re giving the numbers in case you’re really stuck or confused and looking for some guidance.