24 Amazing Lunch and Learn Topics to Take the Guesswork Out of Your Planning Process (2024)

With the right lunch and learn topics, you can ensure your colleagues are eager to attend and that they’ll walk away with valuable insights as well.

If your team members—or even you personally—have an adverse reaction when you hear the word “lunch and learn,” you’re feeling a common sentiment caused by a common problem: picking the wrong lunch and learn topics.

The truth is that manylunchandlearnsare held for the wrong reasons,whichleads toemployeeswasting precious time fromtheir workday.

Great lunch andlearnsare engaging, outcome-oriented, and give your team real value in exchange for your time.

So, to help you take the guesswork out ofplanning an incrediblelunch and learn, we’ve compiled 24 topics your team will love.

If you want to pick the perfect lunch and learn topic, start by first thinking at a high level about what you’d like your team to get out of it. Looking at it through this lens helps youfocus inon a topic thatactually supportsyour goals.

15Professional Soft Skills TrainingLunch and Learn Topics

Without a doubt, one of the most common goals for lunch andlearnsis to help employees develop thecritical soft skills they need to succeed at work. And within this category, you candrill down on some ultra-specific topics.

Here are some ideas that fall under this category.

Time Management

Today’s employees work in a fast-paced environment which means the ability to effectively manage their time is critical to keeping on top of their deliverables, reducing stress, and maintaining work-life balance. With a training program likePractical Time Management, you can help your team minimize distractions and make the most out of their time at the office.

Planning and Preparedness

For employees and leaders alike, the ability to anticipate andplan forupcoming projects, tasks, requests,changes,and potential challenges is as crucial as being able to work efficiently and effectively in the moment. So, by hosting a lunch andlearnfocused on planning and preparedness, you can help equip your team with the tools they need to be forward-thinking and strategic.

Project Management

There’s nothing easy about project management. From juggling deadlines to managing team members and troubleshooting issues, having masterful project management skills can make life simpler, more streamlined, less stressful, and more successful for your team and your organization.

If you’re interested in exploring this topic more in-depth, we recently tapped into our network of experts to get their insightsintothe most valuable project management skillsto possess in 2021 and beyond.

Communication Skills

The benefits ofeffective communicationin the workplace cannot be overstated. With the success of every project, goal, and task hinging on what’s said in meetings or delegated through emails, clear communication can make all the difference.If you want to prioritize this in your organization, you might want to enlist aClear Communicationgroup training program to help develop your team’s verbal and written communication skills.

7 Kinds of Leadership Skills

While many leadership skills and traits are innate, many others can—and need to be—honed and developed. With that in mind, you might want to considerdoinga leadership-focused lunch and learnthatcovers off some of the most vital skills they need, such as:

• Strong andempoweredcoaching
• Keeping employees engaged
• Creating positive team dynamics
• Effective negotiation
• Understanding and leveraging individual strengths
• Hosting efficient and effective meetings
• Developing and utilizing emotional intelligence

Networking

If you’ve ever been to a networking event, you can probably attest to this: networking is a fickle thing. If it feels forced, it can be extremely off-putting. But whenit’s approached organically, it can be an incredible tool for building relationships and forging new inroads with potential customers or partners. So, if networking is an important part of your business, it may be worth hosting a lunch andlearnthat focuses on how to do it well. It can be a great skill-developer for junior employees and a nice refresher for seasoned networking pros.

Change Management

In an ever-evolving world, changeand evolution areinevitable. This couldincludeeverything from turnover in your organization to industryand technological changeand even political and social changes. And withso many generations in the workforce, it’sa good idea to host lunch andlearnsthat focus on things like sensitivity training, diversity,internal change management,and finding common ground.

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

You’ve heard thissaying: the number one fear among people isn’t dying, it’s public speaking. Whether that’sactuallyprovenis up for debate, but the fact that it’s even atopic ofconversation shows just how challengingpublic speakingcan be for people. Here’s the catch, though: for many professionals, public speaking and presenting are key elements of their jobs. So, it’s almost certainly worthwhile to host a lunch and learn that focuses on developing moreimpactful presentation skills.

Conflict Resolution

Workplace conflicthas significant negative impacts on employees and, in turn,businesses as a whole. But, unfortunately, it’s an inevitable part ofalmostevery workplace. What matters most is learning to take conflicts, learn from them, and channel them into a positive outcome. This is easier said thandone, but with a lunch and learn topic specifically focused onConflict Resolution, you can help your team learn to turn a negative clash with a colleague into an opportunity to strengthen relationships.

3Fun-BasedLunch and Learn Topics

While professional skills are incredibly valuable, it’s also to remember that‘all work and no play made Jack a dull boy.’

So, don’t shy away from choosing lunch and learn topics that are focused solely on helping your employees have fun, share a few laughs, and build stronger bonds.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

Breaking the Ice

Want to help your colleagues get to know each other better? Then elect to do a lunch andlearnthat’s all about breaking the ice and learning more about one another. If you need inspiration for how to do it, check out this list we madecomprisingthe300 best icebreaker questions for workgroups.

Wine, Beer, or Spirits Tasting

Okay, in fairness, this might be more of a happy hour idea than a lunch and learntopic butconsider hosting a late afternoon “lunch and learn” where a professionalconnoisseurcomes in and does a wine, beer, or spirits tasting with you. Not sure where to start? Many of the bigger alcohol companiesactually hostthese types of events for corporate groups. Just remember to ensureeveryone’s oflegal drinking age and, of course, to drink responsibly.

Team Building

Whether your lunch and learn topic is solely focused on building bonds and having fun or it’s something you want to include to wrap up a skills-focused lunch and learn,team building activitiesare agreat way to do it. They can act as a standalone lunch and learn, or simply compliment an existing lunch and learn by adding a fun touch. And if your group works remotely, you can also easilydoavirtual team building activitythat everyone can participate in.

You might like:

• Wild Goose Chase:Get out into the great outdoors with ascavenger hunt team building activitylike a Wild Goose Chase. With this app-based activity, your team will head out into the city to explore, bond, and tackle fun photo and video challenges.
• Charity Bike Buildathon:According toresearch from the United Health Group, 78% of American adults said that volunteering lowers their stress levels. So, try out aCharity Bike Buildathonphilanthropic team building activity. Together, your group will build and decorate kids’ bikes before creating an advertising campaign for their bicycles and presenting them to the group. Finally, all bikes will be donated to a local children’s charity of your choice.
• Cardboard Boat Building Challenge:Split into teams and create a cardboard boatmade out ofjust the materials provided – cardboard and tape. Team members will have to work together to engineer a functional boat that will float and sail across water without sinking. Once teams have finished making their boats, they will create a presentation to explain why their boat is the best, before putting their boats to the test. The final challenge will have teams racing their boats to test their durability!
• The Amazing Chase:Inspired by the popular reality TV show The Amazing Race – on which teams race around the world, with each leg of the competition requiring the groups to solve puzzles, interact with locals, and complete challenges – this interactive scavenger hunt has teams following clues around their city and taking on physical and mental challenges to move on to the next destination.With more teams in play, the stakes are evenhigher,and the competition is even more fierce.
• Random Acts of Kindness:Random Acts of Kindness fuses the scavenger hunt concept with a philanthropic twist. This large group team building activity gets teams racing against one another to try and complete as many good deeds as possible before time runs out. Again, more people equal more positivity spread throughout your city.

5Life SkillsLunch and Learn Topics

Work-life balance is more than just a buzzword. It’s something that’s becoming increasingly important to modern employees. That’s because the reality is that there’s a direct correlation between work and life—in order to be productive at work, you need to be satisfied in life, and vice versa. So, picking lunch andlearntopics that help employees develop life skills can also have benefits in their professional lives.

Check out these ideas for some inspiration.

Healthy Eating

Nutritious food has been proven to supportproductivity, creativity, and happiness at work. So, consider hosting a lunch and learn focused on teaching your employees the benefits and how-to of healthy eating. This could be things like a healthy dinner cooking glass or tips for how to meal prep and pack lunches that fuel their brains.You can even bring in a healthy lunch for everyone to enjoyas a waytoback it all up.

Fitness

Just likeeating well, fitness has also been shown to raise energy levels, combat stress, battle fatigue, and make you more efficient and productive. That makes it a perfect lunch and learn topic for your team. Whether it’s a how-to tutorial or an instructor-led physical workout, helping people understand fitness fundamentals will have positive outcomes in their personal and professional lives. If you opt to do an actual workout, just make sure it’s something everyone will feel comfortable participating in, regardless of their fitness level.

Financial Planning

There’s nothing quite as challenging as financial stress. And if your employees are financially stressed, it can resonate back into their professional lives. So, finding ways tosupport your employees’ financial wellnessis an important responsibility—and alsoan incredible lunch and learn topic. Consider bringing in a financial planner or accountant who can help provide actionable financial insights your team can use in their daily lives and in thelong-term.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is defined as the ability to be fully present in and engaged with the current moment–our thoughts, feelings, sensations–without distraction or judgment. It also helps us manage our emotions and channel them in a positive way, and it makes for a great way to take a mental break during stressful points in the workday. If this sounds interesting to you, there are many people out there who specialize in teaching mindfulness and many of them do lunch and learns.

Goal Setting

At work and in life, setting realistic goals gives us something to strive for and keeps us motivated. But it’s not always as simple as you might intuitively think. That’s why it makes a great lunch and learn topic: you can help your team understand how to set short-term and long-term goals as well as “stretch” goals, if they so desire.

2Company Expertise and KnowledgeLunch and Learn Topics

For many organizations, lunch andlearnspresent a perfect opportunity to share internal knowledge with employees.

Product Training

If you’re launching a new product or service, that’s a perfect lunch and learn topic to dive into with your team. Order in some food, put together a presentation, and take everyone through what’s new and what they need to know.

Cross-Training

If you’re unfamiliar with cross-training, it refers to the concept of coworkers teaching each other the ins and outs of their respective roles. This is important because it helps employees to appreciate each other’s jobs and recognizeall ofthe duties that each person does—even those they may have overlooked before. This can create more empathy between team members as well as help torefinesprocesses. It also gives you a significant supply of lunch andlearntopics to work with. Consider doing a monthly lunch and learn where one employee from a particular department or role develops a presentation to train the rest of the team on exactly what it is they do. After a few months, your entire organization will have an even better understanding of each facet of the business.

Lunch andlearnsdon’t have to be boring or cringeworthy. On the contrary, with the right topics, lunch andlearnscan be an engaging and enjoyable experience for your entire team.

Have you used any lunch and learn topics we might’ve missed? If so, let us know in the comments section below!

Want to learn more aboutgroup skills training programs for your next lunch and learn?

If you’ve got questions aboutthe rightteam buildingactivities for big groups of employees,reach out to an Employee Engagement Consultant.