When it comes to change communication, leaders need help motivating their team members—especially when the going gets tough. That’s where change champions come in.

Change champions are advocates selected from across the company. Their role is to become knowledgeable about the change and to share that knowledge with fellow employees in their parts of the organization.

There are three ways change champions can help your initiative succeed. They can:

	Help you gain support. People are most influenced by their peers and people they trust. Find employees from different departments and career levels who can become knowledgeable about the change, share that knowledge with colleagues and tell their own personal stories of how the change impacted them. This builds a connection for employees while promoting awareness and understanding about the change in every business area.
	Gather insights. Change champions are the bridge between change leaders (those managing the change) and employees (those impacted by the change). They can act as the “pulse” for the organization to listen, identify knowledge gaps, gather feedback and report back to change leaders.
	Reduce gossip. When a big change happens, the whispers start to trickle down. Champions can help you counter rumors with facts and share the right information with employees.