The Knowledge for Lunch Bunch, by Barton Goldsmith

Would you like an idea that costs very little, but yields high returns? Of course you would. This technique will help you to make your company`s Lunch Hour a training session for your team and add profit to the bottom line. The technique is called the Knowledge Lunch. This simple yet elegant practice helps your team members grow both personally and professionally. In addition, your company will profit from more educated and communicative workers. Here Ìs how it works.

Have each of your team members pick an industry or business publication that is valuable to your company and that they like; then subscribe to it for them. Pick a day of the week when the team agrees not to have out of the office lunch appointments (Wednesday seems to work for many organizations). Have each team member select an article that they think will benefit the company and their fellow workers, or that they simply find interesting. Have them make copies of the article for each attendee (limit the group to 12). Then, as they are enjoying the lunchtime pizza (that you provide) they share a 3-5 minute summary of the article with the team. Your staff will be keeping up with industry trends, learning new techniques and educating each other. Your company will benefit from more knowledgeable workers and a tighter team. All for the price of pizza! There are also a couple of creative twists you can use for additional benefits.

There are many outside service companies (financial planners, industry sales reps, etc.) who would love to address an audience of potential clients. Think about bringing in a stockbroker to help educate your people in finances. This is important because when your team understands money well, they tend to treat company money and their expenses with more respect. They will also benefit from continued lessons in dealing with their own finances. Companies that develop new products for your industry will also be very willing to address your team. For the provider, it Ìs an opportunity to display and promote their product. For your company, itÌs a way to keep workers educated about the latest advances in your industry. Best of all, the companies that provide this information will also buy lunch! Once a month bring in an outside educator or vendor, it will add variety and new energy to your Knowledge Lunch.

During difficult economic times, one of the first things that most companies cut is training even though it should be the last. This is a tried and true technique used by hundreds of businesses (during good and bad times) to save thousands of dollars and to continue educating their staff. Think about doing this at all levels within your company, and donÌt leave yourself out of the process. As a leader, knowing more about your industry may be the best advantage you have.