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Workplace Essentials ||
Developing a Lunch and Learn
Crating a Lunch and Learn session is a low cost training option. It is a great way to introduce a topic or give a small demonstration on a new product or service. Your participants will be shown the criteria involved in creating a great Lunch and Learn environment. They are usually voluntary, thus attendance can sometimes be an issue. With this workshop you will be given the knowledge work through this issue and others.
Our Lunch and Learn workshop will give your organization a quick and useful tool to add to its training department. Your participants will be able to use it as a follow-up or refresher to a previous training session. It doesn’t have to be just about a learning event, it can also involve collaboration, networking, or sharing best practices between employees.
Objective:
- Understand what a lunch and learn is and is not
- Be able to set up and break down
- Create new content
- Address difficult situations and people
- Create useful takeaways
- Use feedback to improve future lunch and learns
Introduction :
Getting Started
The working lunch can develop a negative reputation among employees. It often involves being in a roomful of other people with low blood sugar, trying to stay awake while someone drones on about policies, procedures, etc. Lunch and learns, however, should be engaging and enjoyable. Hosting a lunch and learn correctly will improve employee satisfaction and the quality of employee training.
Module 1 :
The Prep Work
Prep work is necessary to the success of every endeavor. The success of lunch and learns depends heavily on the prep work. It is important to plan out the details of the gatherings. Planning requires more than a time and a date. You must find the right location, and set everything up ahead of time. This will prevent surprises and ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Module 2 :
Creating the Content (I)
Lunch and learns are more than social activities. They are used to convey important information, which is why you cannot underestimate the importance of the content. The content that you use should be focused and relevant. It should also be informal and interactive to better engage your audience.
Module 3 :
Creating the Content (II)
The content that you create for a lunch and learn must be able to engage the audience. Make your presentations interactive and tailor them to the needs of each group you meet. Review each presentation carefully, and, finally, back it up to be safe. By following a few basic steps, you improve the chance of success when you present the content that you create.
Module 4 :
During the Session
Once you have created the content, it is time to conduct the session. Prep work is essential to success, but you must be able to follow through during the session. When presenting your material, it is imperative that you introduce a few, simple ground rules, open quickly, and follow up. No matter how well you run a session, you must be flexible. The ability to adjust quickly can mean the difference between success and failure.
Module 5 :
Food and Facilities
The food and facilities are just as important to the lunch and learn as the presentation itself. When teaching in a lunch setting, you face a number of problems. You need to make informed decisions about the food, and make sure that everyone’s needs are considered. Make a point to consider the cleaning needs before and after the meeting. Additionally, request feedback from participants to improve the lunch and learns in the future.
Module 6 :
Take Away Material
You need to consider the subject of take away material. What will you provide? What type of follow up will be necessary? Take away materials include handouts, quizzes, self-tests, websites, reference materials, and white papers. Your topic will determine what you materials you need to provide. Always prepare your materials ahead of time.
Module 7 :
Difficult Situations or People
Whenever you host a lunch and learn, you will have to deal with people. Most of the people you encounter will be pleasant. There is a small percentage, however, who will make your job difficult. It is imperative that you learn how to handle difficult situations or people before you encounter them. Being prepared for the worst will enable you to give the best presentation possible.
Module 8 :
What a Lunch and Learn Is Not
Lunch and learns that fail often do not meet the criteria of a lunch and learn. In order to be successful, it is important to define what a lunch and learn is and what it is not. By creating a lunch and learn according to the appropriate definitions, you increase your chances of success.
Module 9 :
Best Practices (I)
There is always room for improvement, even in lunch and learns. Always find what works best for you and choose the implement the best practices. Tweak your actions based on feedback and involve employees. Above all, remember that you need to create a comfortable environment that engages your participants.
Module 10 :
Best Practices (II)
Part of successfully implementing lunch and learns is recognizing when they will be the most effective. Remember that lunch and learns are not useful in every training endeavor. They can be used as refreshers, Q&A sessions. Additionally, they provide networking opportunities and are extremely effective when scheduled regularly.
Conclusion :
Wrapping Up
Although this workshop is coming to a close, we hope that your journey to understanding lunch and learns is just beginning. Please take a moment to review and update your action plan. This will be a key tool to guide your progress in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We wish you the best of luck on the rest of your travels!