Topics & Ideas for Virtual Lunch and Learn
A virtual lunch and learn program is an online session that can help you keep your remote employees engaged, build bonds, and learn new skills. It’s an excellent way to build and foster corporate community and more organizations use it to provide continuous learning and demonstrate commitment to the ongoing growth and development of their employees.
The lunch and learn concept is easy and it’s seen as a more casual alternative to formal training and seminars. It has slowly become an integral part of the workplace culture, which everyone at the company looks forward to being a part of.
The topics should be easily digested in short periods, they don’t necessarily have to be job-related but can be diverse and involve everything from games to music. You just need to make sure that the atmosphere is fun and relaxing and that you have a virtual setting that will give your employees the chance to socialize with their co-workers, build a sense of community and stay connected online.
To boost company morale and promote interpersonal workplace relationships and improve teamwork, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best virtual lunch and learn ideas and topics.
Using Time Management Techniques
One of the most interesting and beneficial ideas when hosting a lunch and learn event is learning time management techniques. Why not host a virtual lunch and learn that will be focused on the increasingly popular Pomodoro technique, which suggests that working in 25 minute increments with short breaks in between can supercharge time management.
Modern offices are more open than ever when it comes to maximizing efficiency and the Pomodoro method can help elevate the work environment and truly motivate your team. It can be perfect for remote teams who want to stay “in the zone” and complete the task. If you want to ensure that your team focuses on a single task, encourage them to work in group Pomodoros.
By rewarding small work shifts with short but refreshing breaks – and with a long break to look forward to – the Pomodoro technique can be a satisfying way to achieve small goals. The important coffee and lunch breaks during the day are actively encouraged in the Pomodoro structure, which makes working hours more focused and productive.
Presentation Skills
Take the opportunity and leverage a virtual lunch and learn to get your employees to practice their presentation and public speaking skills.
Whether someone is a leader or a worker, having good presentation skills is an important tool. By presenting the company’s material and message well, your team members will be able to reach more customers and increase the company’s share of the market.
However, these things can be quite nerve-wracking and challenging for some people and by offering help to develop these skills, your employees will feel valued and appreciated.
Email Communication
For many employees, remote work became a new working style when the pandemic hit and the nuances of remote communication were also something unfamiliar to them up to that point. Although a whole new generation of collaboration tools exists today, users still rely mainly on email for daily communication in professional settings.
By hosting a virtual lunch and learn that will focus on virtual communication best practices, you can make life easier for your team members. Your employees will be able to develop their written and verbal communication skills.
Conflict Management
A conflict can arise anytime, anywhere. When it’s work-related, it must be resolved in the right way so that working relationships and work development are not negatively affected.
You can use several methods to learn to recognize a conflict and deal with it before it goes too far. The sooner you recognize a conflict, the easier it will be to resolve.
Properly managed conflicts at work can lead to the development of working methods and relationships. You can organize a virtual lunch and learn event focused on conflict resolution and provide your team with a learning opportunity to understand a conflict and the basics of conflict management.
Mindfulness
The concept of practicing mindfulness or meditation has become very popular in recent years as a way to relieve stress, improve concentration and a person’s overall mental wellbeing.
Amid challenging times, hosting a virtual lunch and learn focused on this topic can be a great way to reset your team’s intentions for the day and reduce workplace anxiety.
Conclusion
Virtual lunch and learns are a perfect way to lift the team’s energy, support your employees and help them feel recognized and valued. They offer plenty of benefits for organizations of all sizes, both professionally and personally. So look at the abovementioned virtual lunch and learn ideas and topics as they’ll surely appeal to your employees, create excitement, and reinforce company culture.
