Creating a Lunch & Learn Series to help team members learn emerging technology or ways to address common challenges can be extremely beneficial. It can also present opportunities for various team members to grow and coach others to build their own skill sets.
During times of change and transition consider creating a lunch and learn series that help staff become acquainted with new technology, resources, processes, and other important topics.
Here Are 15 Tips To Help You Create A Series:
- Start With The Right Content:
It always makes sense to go to your customers when you want to find out what they want, and need, to know. A quick survey of your employees can yield all kinds of surprising content ideas. You can offer a multiple-choice survey, where you provide content options, but be sure to have write-in fields so that you hear what’s on their minds. - Don’t Feel That You Have To Find A Topic That’s Relevant To All Staff:
It’s ok to present information that doesn’t try to be all things to all people. The material that everybody needs to know may be part of their on-boarding, or updates on UoM policies, or new information about benefits, or government-mandated. For those, use a different channel than a lunch & learn (which won’t be long enough anyway.) - Build Presenter Skills Amongst The Team:
Help build presentation skills on your team. Provide guidance, ask staff to review Linkedin Learning modules on presenting and allow team members to share their own knowledge of topic areas. Provide feedback to help build skills. - Practice With Technology:
When preparing for the session practice with technology. Ensure you’re asking questions to make sure people are following along with the presentation. - Have A Learning Objective:
This will help you decide whether or not a topic is “lunch & learn” worthy. You want a topic that’s substantial enough so that attendees will leave feeling that they got something out of the session. Try filling in just one sentence: “When our staff leaves this event, they should have learned __________.” - Promote The Heck Out Of The Event:
Get your staff excited about the upcoming lunch & learn. Use banners, email reminders (not too many), sign-up sheets, and calendar updates to keep the lunch & learn top of mind. - Mix It Up:
When it comes to topics, nothing is off limits. If a division has had great success, let them tell a story about it and how the team overcame challenges to get there. If there’s been a technology launch, celebrate it, If there’s a sticky challenge facing the team, it’s also ok to have a brainstorming session at a lunch & learn--as long as you have someone who can corral all the great ideas you’re going to get. - Make Your Lunch & Learn Portable:
Face it, there are times that people just can’t break away. Or there may be topics that are irrelevant to them. Record your events and make them available on your company’s intranet (and keep them there for as long as you can.) - Provide Take-Aways:
Take-Aways can be paper reminders that reiterate content and provide sources, or can even be toys, such as stress balls. These are reminders of a particular lunch & learn and can also be an incentive to attend the next one. Whatever you’re handing out, do it at the end of the presentation, and make sure remote employees get them too--even the toys. - Bring In An Outsider:
Can you trade subject matter experts with another team? They can present on a topic during your series and someone from your team can present during their series. This can break down silos and create a more collaborative atmosphere. - Bring Your Own Lunch:
Ask everyone to bring their own lunch, even if everyone is online. This helps create a more relaxed environment. You can even highlight lunch recipes or someone’s cooking skills. - Ask For Volunteers To Present During The Lunch & Learn:
You have skilled employees--and interns. Allow them to stretch by working with them so that they’re comfortable in the spotlight (and help them sizzle.) - Create A Post-Event Space Where People Can Continue To Talk About A Topic:
We have sharing tools such as Google Docs. Make a page where people can post and share their after-lunch thoughts. After all, the lunch & learn was only 45-60 minutes long. You might find that employee engagement skyrockets when there’s a common, compelling topic under discussion. - Make An Occasional Lunch & Learn Simply All About Fun:
Invite everyone to send in their favorite joke or meme, pictures, and collect them into a presentation. Host a drawing class, craft session, or provide grown-up coloring books they even have coloring apps. This could be a welcome change of pace. - After Each Session, Send Out A Follow-Up Survey:
Find out what worked and what didn’t, and what employees would like more or less of. You’re keeping them involved and sending the message that you’re listening. Make it short, but always be sure that there’s a place for comments.
Adopted from 15 Ways to Create a Successful Lunch & Learn.