Work with SMEs

We are a team! 

At the first beginning of working with the SMEs, make it clear that as an ID, you don’t work for them, and they as SMEs, they don’t work for you, you two: ID and the SME, working as a team. 

 

Make sure the SMEs are your team members during the design process. Maintain open communication with them.  They are gonna bring great information about the topic as well as they are familiar with what must be in the course and what should be taken away from the eLearning experience.

 

Scheduling and Meetings

Set up deadlines, milestones and make a specific plan, so that SMEs can be aware of when each step of the process must be completed. Making sure they feel supported and always in the loop.

SMEs are experts in their field and are very busy people. Respect their time by keeping their interactions organized. Always show up to meetings prepared with discussion topics, and follow up with direct and clear requests and action items.

 

You can try to head this problem off at the start by being upfront about the time commitment before the SME agrees to take on the job. That may weed out particularly busy SMEs.

 

• An estimate of how long it will take to complete

• When it’s due

 

This type of schedule can help SMEs plan their time, and it also gives them some ammunition if they need to talk to their bosses about freeing up some time.

 

Once they sign on to the project, create a schedule with clear deadlines, and stick to them on your end to reinforce their importance. Share frequent project updates, and show them the work you’ve done on your end.

 

Show SMEs that you respect their time. Find out how your SMEs like to work. Do they prefer morning or afternoon meetings? Are certain days of the week or times better than others? Are several short phone calls better than one long meeting, or vice versa? Once you know your SMEs’ preferences, schedule meetings and deliverables accordingly. Begin and end meetings on time. And always be prepared so that meetings go quickly and smoothly.

 

Combatting an Expert Mind-set

Some SMEs have been experts for so long that they have trouble sharing their vast stores of knowledge in a way that you (and your target learners) can understand.

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Ask SMEs to step inside the shoes of the learner. It’s important for SMEs to occasionally step inside the shoes of the learners and see things from their perspective. Encourage them to take a close look at all of the eLearning content and online resources as if they were actually taking the eLearning course.

• Does the eLearning content give them the information they need in a timely manner?

• Does it focus on the specific skills they require in their personal and professional lives?

• Are there areas of the eLearning course that may be confusing or difficult to understand?

 

There are a few techniques you can use to bring them down to your level:

 

• Explain it like I’m eight. Ask them to explain the subject the way they would to a small child. Then, use this simplified explanation, and build up to reach your desired level of expertise.

• Ask for real-world examples. If your SME tends to get bogged down in theories, try to ground them by asking for specific examples and scenarios.

• Provoke a reaction. If you still can’t get your SME to come down to your level, you can give this tactic a try. Explain a concept back to them badly, and let them correct you. Often, this change in approach can help them focus and explain concepts more clearly.

 

Prevent cognitive overload

Remind SMEs that learners do not need to become them. They don’t have a great deal of time to engage in the eLearning experience, which means we need to focus on what’s really important. And they need to bear in mind that learners simply need to remember the key takeaways and achieve their goals. Pick out/Prioritize what's Must know, and what's good to know. Leave the 'good to know' for Resources. 

 

Ask questions like:

• How does this tie to our learning outcome?

• What happens if the student doesn’t know this piece of information?

• What do learners need to be able to do when this course is over? Can they do that without knowing this?

 

Last-minute unnecessary change? 

If you run into issues in spite of your careful prep work, your best course of action is to appeal to the SMEs ego. Make them feel heard. If they send you extra work, read it thoroughly and praise their efforts, even if you don’t plan to use it. Listen to their views and arguments even when you don’t agree. Then, remind them of the project’s goals and the importance of adhering to them.