How to host a virtual lunch and learn in 2023 (+ ideas & topics)

A virtual lunch and learn is a great option to make remote employees feel connected. 

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Spending time on virtual team building activities is essential in building a successful team. But all successful team building requires a bit of care and effort. 

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Here are some tips for planning the best virtual and learn for your team–combining team building, food, and education all into the same event. 

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5 ideas for a virtual lunch and learn

Virtual lunch and learns can improve morale by improving the social connections in your team while increasing knowledge and satisfying their curiosity. Start by picking a good format that matches your team’s interests. 

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If you’re looking for some virtual lunch ideas, look no further. Try out one of these options:

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1. Invite a keynote speaker. Keynote speakers are a great way to introduce external perspectives to your team. How successful this is depends on how charismatic and engaging the speaker is, and how relevant the topic is. 
2. Do a series of 1-minute speeches. Have you ever wondered just how short one minute is? 1-minute speeches are far more challenging than they sound. Ask everyone on your team to give a speech about something they’re passionate about. 
3. Host an Ask Me Anything (AMA). AMAs are a classic because they give people the freedom to run with their curiosity. Pick someone who’s up for some fun and give your team free rein to ask questions. 

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Finding speakers isn’t as complicated as it might seem. You can:

• Use SpeakerHub to find a speaker by posting a request.
• Reach out to hosts on Eventbrite or attend an already planned event.
• Find Slack communities and ask for volunteers there.
• There are a million agencies about different topics, such as leadership, remote work, or stress management.
• Ask your team to reach out to their networks via LinkedIn or other social media.
• And last but not least, you likely have a wealth of knowledge in your team. See if any of them might be willing to share their knowledge.

30 virtual lunch and learn topics for 2023

There’s a huge range of virtual lunch and learn topics. The goal is to pick something that will resonate with your team.

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To develop work-oriented skills, consider one of these topics:

1. Giving and receiving feedback
2. Strategic planning
3. Public speaking
4. Time management
5. Conflict resolution
6. Combining family and career
7. Leadership
8. Remote work
9. Overcoming procrastination
10. Setting meaningful goals
11. Understanding personality types

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Another option is to target life skills especially relevant for 2023:

12. Work-life balance
13. Stress management
14. Productivity hacks
15. Mindfulness and meditation
16. Bullet journaling
17. Minimalism
18. Managing a budget
19. Developing a personal brand
20. Improving focus
21. Enhancing creativity

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Or you could cover hobbies:

22. Photography
23. Videography
24. Blogging
25. Gardening
26. Baking
27. Scavenging
28. Graphic design
29. Creative writing
30. Traveling

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Virtual lunch and learn best practices

The difficulty in hosting a virtual lunch and learn is picking an event that appeals to a wide range of people. It’s important to involve your team before selecting something–so you don’t invest time in setting up a virtual lunch that no one enjoys. 

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Once you have a great topic in mind, there are a few best practices to drive engagement:

• Offer gift cards so your team can order lunch. Virtual food events aren’t as fun if there’s no food involved, so purchase something in advance from companies like Hoppier, Doordash, Grubhub, Snackmagic, or Pizzatime. 
• Pick an interesting name. Virtual lunch and learn names lend themselves well to puns like “Food for Thought,” “Bite-sized Learning,” or “Something to Chew on.” They add a sense of levity and lighthearted humor to your event–even if some people don’t find the pun all that clever. 
• Design a visually appealing invitation. A good virtual lunch and learn invitation grabs the eye while providing all the essential information needed at one glance. Choose a design and template that matches the atmosphere you’re aiming for. 

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Ask everyone to RSVP to the invite so you can plan with specific numbers.

How do I set up a virtual lunch and learn?

The steps to set up a virtual lunch and learn are simple:

1. Select the event. That might involve finding speakers, picking software, or calling for volunteers.
2. Schedule it. Use an online scheduling tool to find a time that works for everyone. 
3. Send out invitations. Your invitations should cover the time, the event, and what people need to prepare if anything. 
4. Host the event. Hosting team building events takes some practice, so approach it with a laid-back mindset.
5. Ask for feedback. Feedback is the only way to improve for next time. 

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Team building that works

These events are only so effective in isolation. Supplement them with other free team building activities or these activities for work. 

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Looking for more ways to build a better remote team? Check out these for more: 

• Statistics about employee engagement, 
• A list of employee engagement apps and solutions,

Employee engagement platforms that can boost your culture.