Create a Champion Network

You likely have program champions at many levels in your organization, and you probably already know who many of them are. They are vocal advocates who understand that lifestyle change and prevention work. They have the ear of other employees, and they won’t hesitate to tell them about the National DPP lifestyle change program. Program champions are part of a peer network of past participants who can advocate for the National DPP lifestyle change program. They can be employees at any level of your organization, including leaders and influencers, such as wellness program managers, human resources staff, and senior executives. You can identify specific people in your organization to act as champions for your efforts. Identify staff with both the influence and capacity to promote your program. For example:

• Senior leaders can participate in enrollment activities to help promote the program.
• Managers can give employees time off to complete the program, depending on your program design.
• Wellness champions can add diabetes prevention messages to their existing work. They can often reach employees spread across multiple worksites more easily than other staff.
• Past program participants can join sessions to help engage and retain employees enrolled in the program. If your program is new, ask your delivery organization if they can identify champions from past programs. Spotlight employees who consent to be featured in usual communication channels, like benefits newsletters or employee intranet sites.