A brown bag meeting is one of the most popular workplace meeting trends in recent years. These informal sessions, usually held around lunchtime, offer a great alternative to traditional work meetings for team-building, communication, and learning.

Brown bag meetings are typically organized by employers to provide employees training on work-related topics as well as help employees with life outside of work. Depending on the company or industry, topics may range from customer service training to financial planning to health and wellness. These sessions are not just limited to adults; they can also be tailored to younger employees who may be new to the job or need some extra education.

One of the great benefits of brown bag meetings is the ability to create a consistent message, with the same topic and learning objectives delivered to all team members.

The other great benefit of brown bag meetings is that they are informal. This type of meeting offers employees the opportunity to spend time in an environment where there is not the same pressure or timescale of traditional business meetings. They can be held in open areas of a workplace, collaboration spaces, or even outside as a picnic.

There are four main types of brown bag meeting formats:

Seminar: A seminar is an educational event where one speaker or instructor presents information to an audience. This format is an excellent way to provide employees with training on new processes and procedures, industry updates, or other relevant topics.

Small Group Meeting: Small group meetings are the most informal of all brown bag meeting formats, with employees in a single location discussing a topic that is of interest to them. This can be a great way to build teamwork and encourage open dialogue among team members.

Hybrid Meeting: A hybrid meeting is a combination of a seminar and small group discussions. The instructor will deliver a presentation, and then individual members or small groups will have discussions based on the topics covered.

Social Meeting: Social meetings have the same informal atmosphere as small group meetings but focus more on getting to know each other socially. This can be a great way to build morale and foster relationships, such as sharing hobbies or engaging in team building activities.

Brown bag meetings are an excellent way to ensure consistent messaging and ensure that employees gain knowledge and skills to use in their daily lives. They also provide a relaxed atmosphere to foster open discussion and teamwork, setting the stage for companies to build better relationships with their team members.