Parents, grandparents, mentors, community volunteers, sporting coaches and young employees often work together within the same team.

That makes workplaces a useful place to start conversations that extend beyond the office.

• Unplug24 Morning Tea without phones

  • Tea.
  • Coffee.
  • Food on a table.
  • Phones away
  • Twenty minutes.

  Explain why the organisation is participating and invite people to register before the weekend.

• Leadership Participation — People notice what leaders choose to do.

  A short message from the CEO or leadership team gives the campaign credibility inside the organisation.

• The Friday Switch-Off — At the end of the workday, encourage teams to remove social media apps before heading into the weekend.

  • Some people reinstall them on Sunday.
  • Some do not.

• Lunch Away From The Desk

  • Put phones in a box.
  • Sit people together.
  • See where the conversation goes.

• Walking Meetings — For meetings with two or three people, leave the boardroom behind.

  Walk and talk.

  Many teams find they solve problems faster when nobody is looking at a screen.

• The Kitchen Board — Place a sheet of butcher’s paper in the lunchroom.

  • Ask one question:
  • What are you reconnecting with?
  • Leave it up all week.

• Match Your People — Match staff donations dollar for dollar or contribute to a percentage of employee registrations.

  Visible support encourages participation.

• Support Parents — Many parents are trying to understand the same online risks that led to the creation of SmackTalk.

  A workplace session provides practical information and a common language for discussing these issues at home.

• Toolbox Talks — For field crews, sites and shift teams, keep it simple.

  • Five minutes at the start of a shift.
  • A QR code.
  • A conversation.

For further ideas and downloadable resources, go to this section.

Every weekend, people arrive for far more than a game.

• They catch up with friends.
• They volunteer.
• They support their children.

They spend time with people they have known for years.

That sense of belonging is exactly why sporting clubs matter.

• The Unplug24 Round

  • Dedicate a round of fixtures to the campaign.
  • Yellow laces.
  • Yellow armbands.
  • Yellow tape on goalposts.
  • A short announcement before play begins.
  • Keep it visible.

• A Minute Of Noise — Before the first game, bring everyone together.

  Invite the crowd to clap, cheer and make noise for sixty seconds.

  It should feel like sport.

• Match activity to the unplug24 challenge

  • Run/walk/swim 24 laps
  • Sing or play an instrument for 24 minutes
  • Play 24 rounds of “round robins”

• The Sideline Challenge — Challenge parents to watch one complete game without touching their phones.

  • No filming.
  • No scrolling.
  • Just watch.
  • Then ask their child whether they noticed.

• Families On The Field — Run a parents versus kids match before the first game or after the last.

  Follow it with a barbecue, coffee van or breakfast.

  Keep the focus on fun.

• Registration Station

  • Set up one table outside the clubrooms.
  • Two volunteers.
  • A QR code.
  • An explanation of the campaign.

  Personal conversations remain the most effective form of promotion.

• Grade Against Grade — Create a club ladder based on registrations or fundraising.

  • Every team contributes.
  • Every team belongs.

• Presentation Day — If the season is ending, use your presentation day.

  Ninety seconds from the club president is often enough to bring people on board.

• Bring SmackTalk To Your Club — Wayne has found that the most powerful sessions are often those that bring players, parents and coaches into the same room.

  People leave with shared information, shared understanding and a clearer sense of how to support one another.

For further ideas and downloadable resources, go to this section.

Unplug24 gives them another reason to do it.

• The Unpluggers’ Table — Set up a long table in a hall, park, street or clubroom.

  • Everyone brings a plate.
  • Nobody brings a phone.

• Saturday Morning Outdoors — Organise a walk, fishing trip, park run, beach clean-up or working bee.

  Put people side by side with a task to do and conversation tends to take care of itself.

• Give The Hours Away

  • Use some of the day helping somebody else.
  • Visit someone who is isolated.
  • Help a neighbour.
  • Volunteer for a local organisation.

• Games Afternoon — Open the hall and fill it with things people can do together.

  • Cards.
  • Chess.
  • Dominoes.
  • Table tennis.
  • Board games.

• Share A Skill — Invite older members to teach younger ones something practical.

  • Bake bread.
  • Change a tyre.
  • Tie a fishing knot.
  • Repair a bike.
  • Play an instrument.
  • Advertise it as 24 skills to learn in a day

• Phones out of sight — Run one meeting during the week with every phone left out of sight

  Then talk about the experience over a cup of tea.

• Music In The Room — Host an open mic night, choir performance or local band.

  • No phones.
  • Unplugged if you wish.

• Light it yellow — Ask councils, community groups and local leaders to show support throughout the week.

• Bring SmackTalk To Your Community — SmackTalk presentations are available online and in person across Australia and are provided free of charge.

For further ideas and downloadable resources, go to this section.