Build Relationships And Work Better...Together!
Many Instructional Designers (IDs) have a love/hate relationship with the Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs (pronounced "smees"), that we work with to develop instructional materials. We love the fantasy of a competent SME who communicates flawlessly, knows his or her subject inside and out, is never mistaken, is always available to answer our every question, and who in general makes our job easier.
We hate the reality: SMEs often don't have time for us, don't seem to take Instructional Design seriously, are hard to work with, don't speak training jargon, have very different goals than we do, and often seem to hold back important information on purpose—doling out their expertise in drips and drabs instead of explaining everything we need to know in one or two efficient sessions. But what if we try to shoot between those two extremes of love and hate?
Resetting our own expectations and tweaking the way we approach and work with SMEs can help us achieve a successful collaboration that makes our lives (and our SMEs' lives) easier, while simultaneously building relationships and producing effective instruction.
The World From An SME's Point Of View
Here's what SMEs wish IDs knew (but are far too polite to tell us):
- They didn't choose to work with us on this project; they were assigned to do so—which means they have to shoehorn meetings with us into their already packed schedules.
- Because they're often responsible for overseeing the process we're training (and may have been responsible previously for training that process), SMEs can perceive us as hired guns swooping in to tell them how it's done—even though we don't know a thing about what they do or how they do it.
- SMEs may not be coming to the table with a good impression of Instructional Design or training. This reputation may not be deserved; but if we're working with SMEs who've had to sit through even a few mind-numbing trainings produced by our department (even if those trainings were developed years before we came onboard), they may be understandably reluctant to spend their precious time working with us.
- As far as SMEs are concerned, we're just vacationing; they live here. In other words, after the training, we IDs will move on to the next project while our SMEs remain working in the same department, responsible for plugging any gaps in our training and answering for any less-than-stellar instructional outcomes.
- SMEs almost never get any credit for the time they put into our projects. If a training project is successful, credit typically goes to the IDs in particular and the training department in general, even though the project couldn't possibly have been effective without our SMEs' cooperation and expertise.
What We Can Do Make Our Lives (And Our SMEs' Lives) Easier—And Build Better Instruction
- Expect the discovery and collaboration process to take much longer than we think it should.
A focus on tools—that ever just-out-of-reach holy grail of software that will magically make our jobs faster and easier—has led many of us to value quick construction over results. We want to get information from our SMEs as quickly as possible so we can start plugging it into the tool du jour. But no tool can do what a SME can do, which is to help us understand what we should be training and why. At best, a tool can only help us with the "how." - Respect our SMEs.
They're the keepers of the knowledge, and we can't do our jobs effectively without them. - Approach the project from our SME's point of view.
Ask about their concerns and pain points and learn (and use) their language, not ours. - Listen more than we talk.
Pay close attention to their frustrations and explanations, guiding them gently as necessary to get the info we need. - Involve SMEs in iterative testing
Involve from prototype to production. Then actively solicit—and apply—their feedback. - Give SMEs credit.
If our training is praised, we should mention the help our SMEs provided. If our training is evaluated and the results indicate that it's effective (not the same as praised!), we should make it a point to mention our SMEs' contributions to their supervisors, ours, and on up the chain.
Things We Should Try To Avoid
- Jargon
Using "edspeak" is off-putting to SMEs. While it's relevant to us, it's not relevant to them. As professional communicators, we need to interpret theoretical concepts into examples that are meaningful to, and that resonate with, our SMEs every bit as much as we need to do it for learners. - Hurdles
Ditch intake forms and similar processes that make working with us off-putting and difficult. Instead of expecting SMEs to do our jobs, have in-person conversations and take notes. - Attitude
Good IDs bring specialized, valuable skills to the project. But SME brings specialized, valuable skills to the project, too. Their skillsets are neither superior nor inferior to ours, but complementary.
The Bottom Line
Depending on how we look at it, working with SMEs is an opportunity to gain expertise, build relationships, and deliver the most effective instruction possible… or a necessary evil. While some of us may have been attracted to the field by the thrill of teaching and training, the excitement of ever-changing technology, or the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in learners' lives (or a corporation's bottom line), ultimately if we don't learn to love working with SMEs at least a little, we shortchange not just our SMEs, ourselves, and our reputations—but our learners, too.
What's your take?
What tips and tricks have you found to work more effectively (and enjoyably) with SMEs? Please consider leaving a comment and sharing your hard-won experience with the learning community.
