How to Host a Lunch and Learn

More than a third of employees rate learning and development among the three top aspects of the employee experience. Organizations that prioritize learning show their employees that they care about their professional development and want to provide opportunities for them to grow and improve their skills. That can lead to more engaged, more productive, and more skilled employees.

One simple element of becoming a learning organization is by implementing Lunch and Learns. A Lunch and Learn is an informal training or presentation held during the lunch hour, offering a relaxed, informal environment for employees to learn new skills, share expertise, or discuss an important topic. It’s a low-cost, high-impact way to boost team morale and offer professional development opportunities by leveraging your existing workforce and network.

So, how do you host a Lunch and Learn? It’s pretty simple.

Why Are Lunch and Learns Useful?

Lunch and Learns are more than just a free meal. (Although that’s nice, too.) They’re great opportunities to improve your team’s performance and culture. Some benefits include:

• Knowledge sharing: A developer can teach marketing staff about a new tool, or an HR professional can explain a new policy. Lunch and Learns are a great way to tap into your team’s existing expertise.
• Professional development: Employees can pick up new skills or stay-up-to date on industry trends without having to attend a conference or workshop.
• Team building: Departments that don’t normally work with one another can sit down together and learn something new, breaking down silos and encouraging collaboration.
• Increased engagement: Lunch and Learns are a great way to boost employee engagement and make them feel more invested in their growth and the company’s success.

How to Plan a Lunch and Learn

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you plan a successful Lunch and Learn.

Pre-Session Planning

1. Choose a topic: Start by brainstorming a few ideas, and don’t be afraid to ask the team for suggestions. Get a sense of new skills or tools the team wants to learn so that you can plan a topic that’s going to be a hit.
2. Find a presenter: Once you have a topic, find an internal expert to present. An internal presenter can provide context about your business that a third-party speaker can’t. If you want to make this a regular series, you can start bringing in external speakers later.
3. Set the date and time: Pick a date that won’t conflict with major project deadlines or company events. It’s a “Lunch” and Learn, so around lunch time can be a good time of day with fewer meeting conflicts.

Logistical Arrangements

1. Book the venue and tech: Reserve a conference room with enough space for your attendees, or use a main meeting area. If you have remote team members, make sure to set up a virtual meeting space and verify that they can hear, see, and access any accompanying slides.
2. Arrange food and drinks: A good meal is always a powerful incentive to get people to a Lunch and Learn. Decide on your budget, make plans for dietary restrictions or allergies, and order something people are going to want.

Promotion and Communication

1. Create the invitation: Send out an invite with all the essential details: Topic, presenter, date, time, and how to RSVP.
2. Send reminders: A simple reminder a few days before and again on the morning of the event can help boost attendance.

Execution and Follow-Up

1. Show up early: Make sure you’re there early to set up, test your tech, and greet attendees. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to stick to a schedule.
2. Gather feedback: After the session, send out a survey to see what attendees liked, what they learned, and what topics they want to see in the future.
3. Share materials: Send out an email after with the presentation slides or a link to the recording so those who couldn’t make it can still watch if they’d like.

Best Practices for a Successful Lunch and Learn

A Lunch and Learn isn’t an overwhelmingly complex event. Nonetheless, there are some important best practices to keep in mind:

• Keep it short and sweet: People are on their lunch break. They’re choosing to attend a work event regardless. Keep the presentation to 30-45 minutes, with 10-15 minutes for questions.
• Encourage participation: A good Lunch and Learn should be a conversation. Make it interactive with polls, questions, or a quick hands-on activity.
• Remember lunch: Food may be more important to getting people to the event than the topic itself, so don’t forget the lunch!
• Vary topics and presenters: Change up the topics over time and let different people from around the company share their knowledge.