We all know that Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) provide the content that makes a course informative. But sometimes, their content may get a little too much “in the weeds,” and you find yourself bogged down with a mountain of information that’s “nice to know, but not need to know” for your learners. So where’s the balance? Here are some helpful tips for getting the most from your SME, without letting their expertise overwhelm the course focus.
Involve the SME from the Beginning
This tip may seem obvious, but it’s worth acknowledging. The SME should be part of the project team from the beginning, starting with the kick-off meeting. Having the SME share his or her vision for the course lets you know you’re either on the same page or you’re not, in which case you can deal with it early on. Involving the SME from the get-go also helps to establish a rapport with that person, especially if you’re working at different locations and have not met before. As part of the kick-off process, it’s also good to walk the SME through your learning development process, if they’re not already familiar with it, so they know what to expect and the time requirements on their part.
Get Familiar with Their Materials
PowerPoints, documents, graphs, charts…do you really have to review all this? The answer is, of course, yes (or, at the very least, you should review the materials and get familiar with the content). When a SME puts forth the effort to provide you with resources, it’s in your best interest to review them, even if much of it won’t end up in the course. In general, SMEs are passionate about their subjects and most are eager to share their knowledge with you. Even if your schedule is a little overloaded (and whose isn’t?), respect their effort to catch you up on the field. Often, this “data dump” can be overwhelming and very time-consuming to get through.
As an alternative to receiving a lot of raw content from the SME, Cathy Moore suggests asking the SME to give you “an informal brain dump, or an interview, or any other format that they won’t put so much work into.”
Prepare for Interviews
Make an effort to understand the subject area on your own. Do some research and try to find answers to your most basic questions before meeting with the SME. Showing that you’ve done your homework and asking good questions during the interview gives you credibility with the SME and avoids unnecessary phone calls or emails later on. As Jane Bozarth points out in her article, your SME already has a full-time job. “Don’t expect endless, frequent meetings. Plan for the conversation, and don’t call back three times needing something you forgot to get in the first place.”
Get Their Help with Topics and Activities
Your SME knows what learners need to know to be experts, and they are valuable assets in brainstorming the ideal course topics and activities. Guide them by asking about real world scenarios and problems. What are some common mistakes people make? What information does the learner absolutely need to know to do his or her job well? In many cases, it may be easier for the SME to respond to something you’ve written rather than to start from scratch, so draft up potential scenarios and activities as examples for the SME and let them revise and refine.
Submit an Outline for Approval
After you’ve interviewed the SME and done your own homework, create a detailed outline of the course content to get the SME’s approval on the proposed scope and sequence before you move on. The outline could include descriptions of the scenarios and activities that you’ve brainstormed with the SME.
Work Together to Limit Information
During the process, you may need to remind the SME of the course focus and that you intend to use only information that is vital to learners. Steve Boller suggests to “Help them take a step back…what level of proficiency are they trying to make the learner gain?” You know that overwhelming the learner with information that isn’t important to them is a mistake. If the SME gives you content that they think is important, but that doesn’t fit the focus of your course, try to come up with a compromise. Can this information be put into a Job Aid or be available as a resource later on? See what you can do to retain information they see as valuable, without compromising the focus of the course.
Just like in any good partnership, the quality of your SME experience will likely rely on communication and compromise. As long as you respect their time, value their help and expertise, and find ways to keep content focused on the learner’s needs, your relationship will be productive and positive, resulting in a more effective course for learners.
If you’d like to learn about custom eLearning course creation from Digitec Interactive, visit our eLearning page.
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