How To Host a Lunch and Learn Session

At the heart of human connection is the simple act of breaking bread with close friends, compatriots, and coworkers. In the workplace, a lunch and learn can be a low-pressure forum for colleagues to come together, share a meal, and develop new skills. And with nearly 78% of employees saying that workplace connection is important for creating a strong company culture, lunch and learns, when done right, can be a way to foster engagement and build meaningful relationships at work.

Here’s a deeper look at the lunch and learn format and what it takes to host a successful lunch and learn event.

What is a lunch and learn?

A lunch and learn is an informal workplace training or educational session, typically held during employees’ paid lunch break period. Employees come together to learn about a specific topic, with a company-provided meal as an incentive to attend. Lunch and learns support professional development in a relaxed, low-stakes environment that stands in contrast to more formal meetings or traditional training.

Lunch and learn sessions can cover a broad range of topics, from introducing a new company product to developing life skills that improve employees’ well-being outside of the workplace. These events are an opportunity for internal team members to share their expertise, or for you to host a guest speaker who’s an expert in their field.

Organizations can use lunch and learns as a budget-friendly way to build professional skills and encourage team building. Because they’re during the workday and don’t require traveling to a different location, these events cause minimal interruption to employees’ schedules. Since they’re during break times, lunch and learns should always be optional. Ideally, your lunch and learn will include an interesting speaker and a great meal, so your team will want to attend.

Types of lunch and learns

There are a lot of ways to approach helping your employees learn over a catered meal. Here are just a few types of lunch and learns to consider.

Lecture

This large-format gathering may include the entire organization or relevant teams. An internal team member or external specialist typically gives a presentation on a topic relevant to the entire group, which may be followed by a question-and-answer session. 

Small group discussions

Less formal than a brainstorming meeting, this kind of gathering may involve sharing ideas about a particular topic, perhaps one that’s outside the day-to-day remit of the team (for example, a product team discussing leadership strategies).

Personal development and socializing

These may include personal development sessions on topics such as time management or building a healthy work-life balance, an activity such as a yoga or art class, team building games, or simply a time to catch up with others.

Remote lunch and learns

Hosting a virtual lunch and learn (with gift cards provided to participants to order a meal) through a platform such as Zoom or Google Meet gives remote employees an opportunity for professional development and to connect with each other.

How to host a lunch and learn

1. Schedule thoughtfully
2. Identify an appropriate learning objective
3. Find a speaker
4. Provide lunch
5. Encourage participation
6. Include remote employees

With the right planning, hosting a lunch and learn can promote learning, connection, and professional growth in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. Here are practical tips to help you organize a successful event that your team will be happy to attend.

1. Schedule thoughtfully 

Plan the lunch and learn far enough in advance so attendees can block their calendars to prioritize attending, and so you have enough time to coordinate logistics like the food and drink orders.

Keep the presentation portion of the session between 30 and 50 minutes so the session doesn’t extend past the standard lunch break. If you’re interested in setting up a regular cadence for lunch and learns, aim to host sessions no more than once a month, ensuring each one is valuable and maintains a sense of freshness and novelty.

2. Identify an appropriate learning objective

Choose an interesting topic that’s relevant to your industry, aligned with the attendees’ roles, and suitable for casual learning. Reserve heavier or more technical topics, such as compliance training or advanced software training, for formal meetings where there’s more time and structure to support deeper explorations of complex concepts. Since lunch and learns are short, be realistic about what you can cover in less than an hour. Aim for a focused learning objective rather than a thorough deep dive.

3. Find a speaker

Choose an engaging speaker with a distinct area of expertise, whether it’s an internal employee or an external guest speaker who brings new perspectives or industry knowledge. Featuring team members as presenters highlights internal talent, boosts morale, and fosters connections across teams or departments. It can also help other employees learn about growth opportunities within your company.

Lunch and learns are also an opportunity to invite company leaders to host a lecture, since some teams might not usually hear from them directly. This exposure can increase visibility and transparency, potentially breaking down silos and improving rapport between team members that may not have much interaction on a day-to-day basis.

4. Provide lunch

Offering a great lunch is a simple but effective incentive to encourage attendance. Be thoughtful about dietary restrictions and provide a variety of options to make sure everyone feels included. Whether catered or individually packaged, providing a meal will make the experience feel extra worthwhile for employees.

5. Encourage participation 

A successful lunch and learn creates an environment where attendees feel comfortable joining in on the conversation. Consider a casual Q&A session at the end of the presentation, or add small group breakouts to the agenda. Keep participation optional to maintain the informal spirit of the event. After the lunch and learn, send out a survey or ask for feedback. Consider crowdsourcing topics for future lunch and learns to keep content engaging.

6. Include remote employees

Make remote employees feel just as included by providing gift cards so they can order lunch to their homes and enjoy the experience alongside their in-office teammates. Use a virtual meeting platform to include them in the presentation and discussion. After the session, create a follow-up thread via email or instant messaging where all participants can share takeaways, ideas, or resources.

Ideas for lunch and learn topics

To choose an appropriate topic for a lunch and learn, aim for sessions that support professional development and life skills that would improve employees’ lives in the workplace and beyond. While some topics are industry-specific (such as a digital marketing agency attending a lecture on new SEO trends), there are overarching themes of lunch and learns that can apply across more workplaces.

Here are a few ideas that work well in a wide range of settings and are customizable to suit your teams and industry best practices.

• Product training. This is particularly helpful for teams like customer service and marketing, which would benefit from learning more about the product, but don’t interact with it on a regular basis. 

• Leadership skills. These skills may be relevant for managers and aspiring leaders alike and include topics like decision making, public speaking, and emotional intelligence. 

• Team building. These can be activity-based or purely social.

• Life skills. Topics such as time management, work-life balance, and mental health can help give team members tools to feel more focused and resilient. A 2024 survey found that only 24% of US employees felt that their organization cared about their well-being. A lunch and learn focused on personal well-being is an easy step in the right direction.