What Does A Subject Matter Expert Do?
A Subject Matter Expert (SME) can be an existing internal employee, an external consultant, or a third-party contractor that companies turn to for their expertise. Some of the most popular industries hiring SMEs are HR, IT, law, public relations, education, marketing, and software development. Depending on the industry, their responsibilities and day-to-day activities differ, although a few of them can be found in most of the fields. For example, they make suggestions on the best software and infrastructure solutions while identifying the best corporate practices to increase productivity and save resources. They also document a business's common practices and offer feedback regarding the usability of a product or service. To become an SME, professionals must translate complex data into easily comprehensible information that employees from all departments can understand during their training sessions.
Tips On How To Become An SME
Find Your Niche And Keep Growing
Regardless of the business sector you work in, ask yourself, "What do I enjoy about my job, and what type of advice do people ask from me?" These questions may help you realize your true passions and the knowledge you can leverage to grow and become an undeniable expert. Knowing the market and what is in demand makes it even easier to find your niche. Maybe your company lacks expertise in a specific area. You can take advantage of this gap and fill it with your unique knowledge. After you've located the area you'll focus on, you must start educating yourself. You may apply for a master's degree, take online courses, and attend seminars. However, no matter how much formal or informal education you receive, attaining knowledge and expertise is an ongoing journey. You should keep up with new trends and technologies so your knowledge is up to date.
Test Your Ideas
To become an SME, you must always innovate and put your problem-solving skills into action. But you should never make suggestions you've never tried out or tested just because you think they might work. Going from theory to practice isn't always successful. So, before making a recommendation, test your idea and see if it works. Depending on the company and its needs, the same solution may not work effectively in all cases. Ensuring compatibility and usefulness makes you a trustworthy professional who delivers on their promises.
Showcase Your Expertise
After you've gathered all the knowledge you need, it's time to show off your expertise. Social media and the entire digital world offer a multitude of ways through which you can achieve visibility. For example, you can start participating in Q&As on various websites and prove how your expertise is beneficial. Also, you can build an even more powerful online presence by creating a YouTube channel and making videos on related matters. If being in front of the camera isn't your preferred method, you can start a blog and write about those subjects. Participating in forums, Twitter discussions, lives, or podcasts may also be helpful. Whatever you do, it's crucial to stay open to questions and answer everything on time and in as much detail as possible.
Be Authentic
It's easy to get distracted by commissions and sales, but it's important to show authenticity to clients. When proposing solutions and technologies, you must only recommend tools that can help them elevate their performance. You should not get carried away and propose new technologies that seem exciting but haven't proved their usability yet. Your customers' needs come first, and you should always make decisions based on them. Moreover, you need to be realistic when setting goals and not exaggerate the potential of a project to pave the way for success and protect a client from added risk or even failure.
Ways To Establish Credibility
Focus On Data
Many companies make data-driven decisions but, on many occasions, lack effective data analysis and interpretation. To become an SME, you must be able to read data, regardless of its complexity, understand it, and analyze it efficiently. Critical thinking, problem solving, ethical usage, and data awareness are indispensable attributes you must possess. The first step is to be aware of the data you need to collect and find the best methods to attain it. Then, you must evaluate its trustworthiness, interpret it with simple words, and use it to solve existing problems. Percentages and graphs can't tell a story clearly. They are just the contexts that help you build your content around. People won't be convinced by the data, but by the story you tell them while showing spreadsheets.
Understand The Meaning Of Leverage
Knowing a subject matter may not be enough to present yourself as an SME. Anyone can gain the same knowledge as you by taking the same courses, studying the same books, and attending the same conferences. To distinguish yourself, you must show how you can leverage your theoretical knowledge and translate it into practical solutions. Sometimes businesses and professionals don't realize their needs or the best course of action. As an SME, you notice areas for improvement based on the data you've collected and show them how they can grow. Provide them with viable options and showcase how these methods can elevate their brand.
Be A Resource, Not An Expert
Science informs us that about 95% of the universe is unknown, which means that our knowledge of it is extremely limited. In the same manner, SMEs hold deep knowledge of their industry that the vast majority of professionals don't. As a result, their responsibility is to unveil the unknown and share their expertise with those who need it. They lead people to innovate and create unique products and services based on precious information that very few in the field have. They also help organizations navigate difficult and unknown circumstances. So, to become an SME, it's not enough to be an expert; you have to know how to use that knowledge to help businesses grow.
Speak On What People Agree On
A successful Subject Matter Expert should be equipped with listening skills. When you engage in meetings and conversations, you must talk less and mostly listen to what others have to say. This way, you get a good understanding of their beliefs and where they're coming from. By reading the room, you don't have to ask questions and wait for answers. Consequently, you can make suggestions everyone agrees on, and no disputes arise. Try to use unarguable facts that unite everyone and make them feel like they are on the same page. Don't just use your personal beliefs; they can easily cause disagreement and tension to the team.
Conclusion
However beneficial an SME is for an organization, these professionals can also have their limitations. For example, they may have trouble seeing the bigger picture since they are so focused on their specific area of expertise. That's why it may be helpful to group an SME with other team members to restore their focus. It's best for organizations to first look internally for an SME and then for a third-party collaborator. That's because existing employees already know the goals and functions of the company and have a clear understanding of their objectives.
