Wellness Seminars.

Brown bag presentations are a good way to create awareness about selected health topics. Community health specialists will often provide presentations of a half hour or less at no charge.

Use employee interest surveys to follow up on employee interests that are expressed. the definition of health is broad, so brown bag presentations may also cover a broad variety of topics. Topics may include physical, mental, emotional, women’s health, men’s health, financial health, etc.

Considerations for brown bag presentations -

• Brown bag sessions are good for awareness building. This seed planting process can help employees become more proactive about healthy options.

• Do not schedule the program for the full hour - normally 40 minutes or so works best. This will allow folks a chance to come and go, grab a quick bite, ask questions, etc.

• When the subject matter is sensitive, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, etc., it is possible individuals  will be reluctant to attend for fear of being associated publicly with the problem. They will, notwithstanding, attend when the focus is on assisting family members, peers, etc.

• Ensure that employees hear valuable information and will leave with tools and resources to carry out the message. Make sure to work with the presenter on information strategies that work for your worker group.

• Promotional materials should publicize the program with a name that indicates the brown bag focus. Include all other pertinent information such as where, who, when, etc.

• Some topics that cannot be covered in one session may  be offered in a short series. It will work best to schedule one session each week in lieu of several sessions in one week.

For example, you might offer a 3-week series on healthy eating instead of attempting to cram all the information into one session.

• A catchy title can draw people  to the event. an example of this would be calling lunchtime presentations “Noonlighting”

• When possible, provide a free healthful snack for staff members who attend.

• to keep the momentum going, try establishing up a routine monthly time and day for lunchtime seminars.

• When workers work in shift or are in work groups in different geographical areas, devise a plan that offers equal attendance opportunity to all.

Resources -

1. Please see the idea list after this guide which offers a variety of resource topics of interest to employees.

2. Every community has many person, experts, or experts from voluntary groups (heart, cancer, lung associations), special interest groups (Y’s, Red Cross, Weight Watcher’s, Safety Council, Alcoholics Anonymous), or the local health department as possibilities to present worksite sessions free or at a low cost.

A lot of of these contacts will also provide low cost materials.

3. Topic videos can be used for a brown bag session.