Lunch and learn sessions are a dynamic and effective strategy to enrich your company culture. These sessions offer a fantastic opportunity for your team to acquire new skills, refine existing ones, and connect with colleagues in a relaxed and authentic setting.
This guide will delve into the world of lunch and learns, exploring their advantages, potential challenges, and a step-by-step process for creating a thriving lunch and learn program within your organization.
What Exactly is a Lunch and Learn?
Imagine a learning environment that seamlessly blends education with social interaction – that’s the essence of a lunch and learn. It’s a smart approach to maximize professional growth, skill enhancement, and team cohesion, all within a single initiative.
Lunch and learns, sometimes referred to as “brown bag sessions,” are concise, training-focused programs conducted during the lunch break. Typically lasting between 30 to 60 minutes, these sessions are designed to introduce new concepts, strategies, or facilitate discussions on crucial topics such as diversity, inclusion, or employee well-being. The format is adaptable, allowing you to tailor it to your organization’s specific culture and learning objectives.
These sessions can be organized as standalone events or as a recurring series – perhaps monthly or quarterly – to maintain continuous learning and engagement.
While traditionally held in-person for employees of a single organization, the reach of lunch and learns can extend further. Companies sometimes host these sessions for employees from other businesses within their community, fostering networking opportunities and showcasing their company culture to a wider audience. This external approach is a valuable method for expanding your professional network and giving others a glimpse into your organizational values.
Can Lunch and Learns Be Conducted Remotely?
Initially, lunch and learns were a perk associated with in-office environments, particularly in larger companies. They served as a convenient way to address important topics or company-wide issues while providing the added benefit of a catered meal and informal networking.
While in-person sessions remain common, remote teams are increasingly embracing the lunch and learn concept. Utilizing digital collaboration platforms like Slack for communication and video conferencing tools such as Zoom, remote teams can effectively host virtual lunch and learns.
These virtual events mirror the structure of their in-person counterparts, facilitating discussions on specific themes, enhancing teamwork, and building professional skills, all within a virtual setting.
Popular Lunch and Learn Topics to Consider
Lunch and learns are versatile platforms for addressing a wide range of topics through seminars, training workshops, or open discussions. The choice of topic is yours, and you can adopt a structured or informal approach as needed. Icebreaker activities can be useful for setting a relaxed tone, but beyond that, the session’s direction is flexible.
If you’re seeking inspiration for your upcoming lunch and learn, here are some popular themes:
- Cross-training: Encourage knowledge sharing within your organization by having team members teach their skills to colleagues from different departments.
- Product Training: Keep your team informed about the latest features or introduce new products or services through focused training.
- Essential Life Skills: Offer sessions on valuable life skills such as budgeting, effective time management, and building self-confidence.
- Personal Development: Focus on developing soft skills like presentation techniques, public speaking proficiency, or leadership capabilities.
- Mini Hackathons: Present a challenge and use the lunch and learn format to brainstorm solutions collaboratively with your team.
- “TED-Style” Talks: Provide a platform for employees to share their expertise or passions, whether work-related or not, in the engaging format of a TED Talk.
- Team Introductions: Dedicate sessions to team member introductions, fostering personal connections, often combined with cross-training to showcase individual roles and expertise.
- Interest-Based Clubs: Transform lunch and learns into recurring sessions for book clubs or skill-based groups focused on coding, journaling, blogging, or other shared interests.
The Tangible Benefits of Implementing Lunch and Learn Programs
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Alt text: Diverse team members actively participating in a lunch and learn in a modern office space, fostering collaboration and engagement.
Lunch and learn programs offer numerous advantages, significantly enhancing the employee experience with minimal time investment and cost. Here are some key benefits:
Foster Open Communication and Discussion
Lunch and learns create a dedicated space for team members to exchange information and ideas freely. This open forum is particularly valuable when addressing sensitive topics such as mental health, wellness, financial literacy, or promoting a positive mindset. These discussions allow employees to connect on a deeper level, building a stronger sense of community within the organization, and making these sessions something employees genuinely look forward to.
Enhance Professional Development and Skills
While in-depth training programs are essential, their length can sometimes lead to attendee fatigue and reduced focus. Lunch and learns provide an ideal, digestible format to introduce new skills, software tools, or office technologies.
These bite-sized learning opportunities are perfect for upskilling teams on software applications, new methodologies, strategic initiatives, or broader professional development goals, such as improving productivity or leadership skills. They also serve as an excellent platform for employees to hone valuable skills like presenting ideas and facilitating group discussions.
Strengthen Team Bonds and Relationships
Building strong relationships within a team can be challenging, especially in remote work environments or for new hires. Lunch and learns offer a relaxed and informal setting to facilitate introductions and foster connections across departments.
Encourage employees to view lunch and learns as a chance to learn new things and, importantly, to get to know their colleagues better. Furthermore, these sessions can subtly incorporate team-building elements without feeling artificial or forced, strengthening interpersonal bonds within the workplace.
Addressing Common Challenges in Lunch and Learn Programs
Even the most well-intentioned initiatives can encounter obstacles, and lunch and learns are no exception. Being aware of these potential hurdles when planning your sessions will help you proactively avoid issues.
Addressing Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
While you want to generate excitement around your lunch and learn events, it’s crucial to avoid making employees feel excluded if they cannot attend every session.
To mitigate FOMO, schedule lunch and learns at times that are convenient for the majority of your team. Vary the timing occasionally to ensure everyone has opportunities to participate. Position lunch and learns as a valued part of the company culture and take steps to ensure accessibility for all interested team members.
If consistent attendance challenges arise, consider surveying your team to determine the most optimal timing for future sessions.
Avoiding Over-Frequency and Maintaining Engagement
While initial enthusiasm for lunch and learns might be high, hosting them too frequently can lead to decreased participation and a sense of obligation rather than excitement.
Avoid overscheduling to keep your lunch and learn program feeling special and relevant. Consider launching it as a monthly event or, again, survey your team to gauge their preferred frequency. These learning opportunities should be viewed as an added perk, not a routine requirement, to maintain their appeal.
Elevating Catering Beyond the Ordinary
Standard catering for workshops and training events can often be uninspired. While sandwich platters and chips are a convenient free lunch, they might not generate excitement or energy among attendees.
Instead of relying on typical lunch fare, consider using platforms like Hoppier to inject personalization and enjoyment into the meal aspect of your lunch and learns. Hoppier provides digital cards with pre-set spending limits, allowing attendees to order their preferred lunch from a variety of options, regardless of location. This is particularly ideal for virtual lunch and learns.
You can also purchase virtual bulk gift cards to streamline the process and ensure you always have funds available. Unspent balances are often returned to your account after the expiration date, reducing waste and optimizing budget utilization.
By offering personalized lunch choices, you enhance the overall experience and ensure that the “lunch” component of your lunch and learn is genuinely enjoyable.
Keeping Topics Engaging and Relevant
Employees are dedicating their lunch breaks to attend these sessions, so it’s essential to make them valuable. Uninteresting or irrelevant topics will quickly deter participation.
Maintain high engagement by consistently seeking employee input on topics they are genuinely interested in learning more about. Solicit ideas, conduct polls, and prioritize the most popular choices for your upcoming lunch and learn schedule.
9 Essential Tips for Planning a Successful Lunch and Learn Event
Ready to create an exceptional lunch and learn program? Here are nine key tips to help you plan events that your team will enthusiastically attend:
1. Define Clear Objectives
Establish a clear purpose for each lunch and learn session. Are you aiming to introduce a new workflow? Prepare for an organizational change? Or create a safe space for open dialogue about challenges? Setting specific learning objectives will ensure focus and direction for each session.
In addition to event goals, identify key takeaways you want attendees to gain. For instance, you might want participants to consider practical applications of the discussed concepts in their daily work or to boost their confidence in specific skills.
2. Choose Compelling Topics
The foundation of attendance is a captivating topic. While a session on basic budgeting might not excite everyone, an opportunity to contribute to the company’s strategic marketing plan could generate significant interest.
If topic ideas are lacking, directly ask your intended audience. They will likely have numerous areas they are eager to learn about, providing a rich source of content for your program over the coming months.
3. Embrace Remote Accessibility
In today’s workplace landscape, remote work is increasingly prevalent. Lunch and learns translate seamlessly to virtual event platforms and video conferencing, allowing remote employees to participate and learn from anywhere.
Even if your organization maintains a physical office, prioritize inclusivity by creating opportunities for remote team members to engage. Live stream in-person sessions and adopt a digital-first approach to ensure accessibility for all.
4. Select an Inspiring Venue
Most organizations typically host lunch and learns within their office spaces, often limiting venue choices. However, strive to find a space conducive to focused learning and engagement whenever possible.
A quiet conference room, away from office distractions, is a solid option. This also minimizes disruption to colleagues taking lunch breaks in common areas. If feasible, consider booking a space at a local cafe or a nearby co-working space for a change of environment.
5. Offer Delicious Lunch Options
Avoid disappointing attendees with lackluster lunch provisions. Offer a diverse and appealing range of options to make participants feel valued and welcome.
Platforms like Hoppier simplify providing lunch allowances through digital cards. You can customize options to align with your brand and company culture or offer open choice, allowing employees to select their preferred meals.
6. Engage a Skilled Facilitator
Every successful event needs a leader, and lunch and learns are no different. Avoid placing the burden of running the session on attendees. Instead, designate a facilitator to guide the session.
For sessions featuring guest speakers, the speaker can often naturally lead and facilitate discussions. For internal programs, assign a non-participating individual to guide the session. Alternatively, consider hiring an external consultant or facilitator, especially beneficial for smaller teams where everyone wants to actively participate in the learning.
7. Respect Time Constraints
These events occur during employees’ lunch hours, making time management crucial. Adhere strictly to time limits and plan sessions within a maximum one-hour window.
Start sessions promptly and strive to avoid overrunning the allotted time. If a session does extend slightly, communicate that there is no pressure to rush back to work immediately. The goal is for attendees to leave feeling inspired, not stressed about lost work time.
8. Encourage Post-Session Discussion
While lunch breaks are limited, provide adequate time and space for open discussion after the formal session concludes. This might involve extending the booking of the conference room or leaving the video call open for continued conversation.
Often, the most valuable insights and free-flowing idea exchange occur during these informal post-session discussions. Allowing time for attendees to process and reflect on the information increases retention and practical application.
9. Gather and Utilize Feedback
When launching a new lunch and learn program, feedback is essential for continuous improvement. Clearly communicate that you welcome open and honest feedback and provide an accessible way for employees to share their thoughts.
Implement a simple online feedback form where participants can share their opinions on the program, suggest future topics, or express interest in contributing to the program’s development. Use this feedback to refine and enhance your lunch and learn program, making it even more effective and valuable over time.
Create Your Own Amazing Lunch and Learn Program Today
Feeling motivated to initiate your own lunch and learn program? They are an excellent tool for fostering team cohesion, exploring new ideas, and building a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
Identify compelling topics, select convenient dates, invite guest speakers, or encourage internal knowledge sharing. Make lunch and learns a central pillar of your company culture and inspire your team to embrace the joy of learning.
And, of course, don’t overlook the “lunch” aspect of your lunch and learn sessions. Book a demo call to discover how Hoppier can help you create a personalized and delightful dining experience for your attendees, enhancing their overall learning engagement.
