The hardest part of running a lunch and learn series is often deciding what to cover next. Here are 50 lunch and learn topic ideas for the workplace, organized by theme, plus tips for choosing topics people will actually show up for. New to the format? Start with our guide to what a lunch and learn is and how to run one.
How to Choose a Lunch and Learn Topic
- Ask people what they want. A two-question survey (“What would you like to learn?” and “What could you teach?”) produces months of topics.
- Make it practical. Topics people can use the same afternoon draw bigger crowds than abstract ones.
- Use internal experts. Colleagues teaching what they know is cheap, popular, and builds connection.
- Write a benefit-driven title. “Three ways to run shorter meetings” beats “Meeting effectiveness.”
- Mix serious and light. Alternate professional topics with personal interest topics to keep variety.
Productivity and Ways of Working
- How to run shorter, better meetings
- Getting your inbox under control
- Prioritizing when everything feels urgent (the Eisenhower matrix)
- Time blocking and protecting focus time
- Hidden features in the tools we already use
- How to write emails people actually read
- Note-taking systems that work
- Working well on a hybrid team
AI and Technology
- Getting started with AI tools at work
- Writing better prompts for AI assistants
- Using AI responsibly: what to share and what not to
- Show and tell: how colleagues use AI in their jobs
- Spotting phishing and staying secure online
- Spreadsheet tips that save hours
- Simple data visualization for non-designers
Communication and Collaboration
- Storytelling for presentations and updates
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Presenting with confidence
- Active listening skills
- Navigating difficult conversations
- Writing clearly and concisely
- Cross-cultural communication
- How to run a great brainstorm
Leadership and Career Growth
- What makes a good manager: lessons from our own leaders
- Coaching conversations for managers
- Building a growth mindset
- Career paths in our organization
- Networking for people who dislike networking
- How to find and work with a mentor
- Leading through change
- Making better decisions as a team
Creativity and Innovation
- Creative problem solving techniques
- Introduction to design thinking
- Turning customer feedback into ideas
- How to prototype an idea quickly
- Learning from failure without blame
- Innovation stories from inside our organization
Wellbeing
- Managing stress and avoiding burnout
- Sleep and performance
- Healthy eating on a busy schedule
- Mindfulness and short breathing practices
- Building resilience
- Ergonomics for home and office workspaces
Our Organization and Personal Interest
- Meet a team: what another department does and how to work with them
- Our customers: a day in their life
- Personal finance basics and retirement planning
- Volunteering and community partners
- Book club: one book, one key idea
- A colleague’s hobby or passion project
- Lessons from a recent conference someone attended
Make the Most of Each Session
Keep presentations to 20 to 30 minutes, add one interactive moment, and end with a practical takeaway. Our webinar engagement ideas work for virtual lunch and learns too, and you can turn each recording into lasting resources with these tips on repurposing a session recording. For more topic ideas suited to longer sessions, see our list of seminar and webinar topic ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good lunch and learn topic?
A good topic is practical, relevant to many people, and small enough to cover in 30 minutes.
How often should you hold lunch and learns?
Monthly works for most organizations. Larger organizations sometimes run them weekly with rotating presenters.
Can lunch and learns cover non-work topics?
Yes. Wellbeing, personal finance, and hobby topics often draw strong attendance and build connection.
Some topics, like creativity, design thinking, and storytelling, often spark interest that a lunch session cannot fully meet. InnovationTraining.org offers innovation workshops that take those topics further with hands-on practice.
