Stop focusing employee communication on news, Alison Davis told more than 100 communicators at the sixth annual Poppulo Communicators Forum in New York City.

Internal news isn’t always new, nor is it always relevant to employees. Communication professionals need to abandon the misconception that posting a press release on the intranet means their jobs are done.

“We should be in the business of helping employees be successful and make an impact in their organizations,” Alison told the audience. “Every day we are doing something that makes a difference for people.”

Alison advised attendees to break free of constraints and make simple changes that can have a huge impact on employees. She shared advice on confronting communication challenges, managing leaders and backing up decisions with data.

Hosted by Poppulo, a leading employee communications software company, the forum gave attendees the opportunity to learn best practices from industry leaders like Alison—who has more than three decades of experience in employee communication.

Alison left employees with a few tips on how to transform employee communication, which include:

• Speak for employees
• Master your craft
• Unleash content
• Produce less, facilitate more
• Demonstrate your value

“Sometimes you’re seen as the order taker, but you are more powerful than you think,” Alison concluded. “As communicators, we need to be advocates for our employees.”