Activity · 1-2 days
Hackathon and innovation day
A day (or two) where cross-functional teams build prototypes, process fixes, or product ideas and pitch them to leaders.
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Learning
Lunch and learn sessions
Short talks over lunch where colleagues or guests share a skill, a project lesson, or a topic - from design basics to personal finance.
- Duration
- 45-60 minutes
- Group size
- 10-60 people
- Budget
- Low (lunch plus an optional guest speaker)
- How often
- Fortnightly or monthly
Benefits
- Spreads knowledge across teams and recognises internal experts.
- Offers cheap, regular learning with no travel or time away.
- Builds presentation confidence for speakers.
What you need
- A topic calendar and a rotating list of speakers.
- A room with a screen, or a video call for remote attendees.
- Lunch or snacks and a short feedback form.
How to run it - step by step
- 1
Ask employees what they want to learn and what they can teach, and publish a quarterly schedule.
- 2
Keep each talk to 20-30 minutes, then take questions.
- 3
Record the session and store notes in a shared knowledge space.
- 4
Collect a three-question feedback form and share the top insights.
- 5
Recognise speakers publicly, and invite external experts now and then.
Variations
- Mix work-related and life-skill topics: personal finance, ergonomics, public speaking.
- Run a “lightning talk” format with five-minute talks from several people.
- Tie sessions into the learning and development plan.
Mistakes to avoid
- Turning it into a mandatory training session.
- Talks that run long or are too technical for a mixed audience.
- No recording - remote and shift staff miss out.
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