As a leader, you’re always looking for ways to improve your team’s productivity levels. This can be accomplished through various methods but one of the easiest and most effective ways is a lunch and learn event.
Besides being easy to organize and taking little time, lunch and learns also spark unique conversations, ensure regular face time with your team, and help move your company forward.
Sounds interesting? Here are 6 tips for organizing a successful lunch and learn event that will boost your team’s results.
- Set Your Goal
Remember that you are asking your employees to ‘sacrifice’ their lunch break, so while tasty food is definitely an incentive, there’s much more than free grub to a successfully organized event.
Be sure that your lunch and learn is interesting, relevant, and worth their while. It’s a good idea to stray from topics that are too serious. Choose to talk about something lighter that would not typically take priority in a busy workday, such as learning new skills, getting familiarized with new company products, or participating in an open conversation. The aim is for your team members to leave the event feeling refreshed and ready to resume their work.
You should also consider having your employees choose the topics they would like to cover. Ask your team members what’s important to them and what they want to learn.
- Decide Who Will Participate
Take some time to decide whether the lunch and learn will be open to everyone or only for specifically invited participants. In both cases, make sure to send invites and ask people to RSVP as soon as possible, so that you know the exact number of attendees and plan your event accordingly.
Think of your remote employees as well. Video and audio conferencing apps like GoToMeeting and Skype enable remote employees to take part in lunch and learns in real-time, while platforms like Hoppier make it easy to organize virtual lunch and learn events by allowing you to send a digital card with a lunch allowance. If there is a major time difference, consider recording the session and making it available to everyone in your company.
- Choose the Venue
The most popular venues for lunch and learn events are often areas equipped for eating such as atriums, breakout spaces, and canteens. The problem is, these can be quite noisy, so it might be wise to take into consideration alternative facilities like meeting and conference rooms which, in addition to being a lot quieter, are very likely to offer projection facilities.
Another option is to host your event offsite. If you decide to do so, be sure to choose a venue that’s central for all participants and that there’s enough room for everyone to enjoy their lunch.
- Take Care of the Food
Think about what kind of food you want to serve. This will largely depend on your budget but, in general, light snacks that can be eaten with fingers are a great option as they’re less distracting and don’t create too much mess.
If you organize lunch and learn events on a regular basis, be sure to change the menu from time to time so that people don’t get bored, and ensure that there is enough food for everyone.
- Find a Good Speaker
The presenter of your lunch and learn can make or break your entire event. If you choose someone who’s unrelatable or boring, your employees will simply zone out. For this reason, you need to choose a good speaker who understands the goal of the event, as well as the audience’s needs.
In general, it’s best to go with someone from within your organization as they’ll be able to understand the challenges your team faces on a day-to-day basis better than team members themselves. The people working for you are familiar with all the procedures, operations, and they know exactly how to motivate the members of your staff.
- Promote Your Event
No matter how much effort you put into organizing your event, no one is going to come if they have no clue that it is happening. So, be sure to start promoting your lunch and learn as soon as your venue and presenter are confirmed and start sending invites.
Avoid emails as they’re easily overlooked and use your company’s Slack or intranet channels instead. You should also consider putting up some flyers or posters to crate additional “buzz”.
Final Thoughts
When executed well, lunch and learns can help you strengthen your company culture, boost employee performance, and improve your team’s results. Lunch and learn events are the surest way to keep learning making improvement a habit for your entire organization.
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The short version: Lunch and Learn events create a low-pressure environment where your team can build skills and connections without leaving the office. When organized with clear topics, qualified speakers, and interactive elements, these sessions drive engagement and measurable business outcomes.
Frequently asked questions
What topics work best for Lunch and Learn events?
Choose topics that directly impact your team’s work or professional growth. Sales techniques, customer service excellence, time management, industry trends, and software tools are popular choices. Ask your team what they want to learn – this ensures higher attendance and engagement.
How long should a Lunch and Learn session last?
Keep sessions between 45 and 60 minutes, including time for questions and discussion. This timeframe respects everyone’s schedules while allowing enough depth to deliver real value. Starting at noon and wrapping by 1 PM works well for most offices.
Who should present at these events?
Internal experts from your company are ideal speakers because they understand your business context. You can also invite external consultants, vendors, or industry professionals. The best presenters are passionate about their topic and can explain concepts clearly without excessive jargon.
How do you measure the success of a Lunch and Learn?
Track attendance rates and send a post-event survey asking attendees what they learned and how they’ll apply it. Follow up weeks later to see if people implemented the new skills. Improved team performance, fewer errors in specific areas, and increased employee satisfaction are strong indicators of success.
