Working with Subject Matter Experts
(SME’s)
Module 3 – Train the Trainer
Doyouworkwithsubjectmatterexperts(SME’s)?Thislessonwillreveal
thesecretstotranslatingtheirknowledgeintoinstructionalcontent.You’ll
learnhowtoarrangelogistics,outlinecontent,anddelivertheprojectto
theSME’sandaudience’ssatisfaction,whilekeepingthecontentfactually
correctandinteresting.
Session Objectives
Attheendofthislesson,youwillbeableto:

DefineaSME

ExplainhowdesignersandSMEsinteract

Determinescopeofwork

Buildaschedule

Outlinethecontent

Managedeliverables

RetaintheSME’svoice

Incorporatefeedback

Launchthecontent
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Working with a Subject Matter Expert (SME’s)
WhatisaSME?
SubjectMatterExperts,orSME’sforshort,areexpertswhohavedomainknowledge,authority,and
credibilityinaspecialtyorfield.Theyknowtheirworkinsideandout.
ThreeAttributesofSME’s
Regardlessoftheirfield,aSMEgenerallyhasthreeattributes:
1. Yearsofexperienceinafieldoroccupation
2. Informationtoshare,whichiscommonlycalledcontent
3. Alevelofthoughtleadershipwithintheirsphereofinfluence
Noticefromthelist,teachingability.WhilesomeSME’sarealsonaturalteacherswithaknackfor
educatingothers,SMEsdon’tautomaticallyknowhowbesttoconveywhattheyknow.Theyknowhow
besttodowhattheydo.That’swhereinstructionaldesignerscomein.WeworkwithSME’stolearn
enoughaboutthedomainandexpertisetocreatecompellingeducationintheirvoice,helpingthem
multiplytheirinfluence.Oursuccessinpartneringwiththemdependsontherelationshipwebuildand
thecarewetakewithourcontent.
InteractingwithSME’s
ThereareessentiallytwocategoriesofrelationshipsyouwillhavewithaSME.Theyare:
1) InstructionalDesignerasaserviceprovidertotheSMEclient–Inthiscaseyouwouldworkwith
theSMEtoproduceaproductsuchasonlinetrainingorsometypeofdocument.
2) InstructionalDesignerasaprojectmanagertotheSMEstakeholder.Inthisscenarioyouwould
beworkingwithaSMEoragroupofSME’stobuildatrainingtoolthathelpstheSME’s
accomplishsometypeofgoal.
Building the Relationship with the SME
Regardlessoftherolethatyou’llbeplayingwiththeSME’sit’s
importantthatyoubuildarelationshipwiththeSME.
1) Buildarelationship.Taketimetogettoknoweachother
anddeveloptrustandrapport.Thiscanbeassimpleas
sittingdownfacetofaceforsmalltalkoraselaborateas
atwohourworkinglunchtodiscusstheproject.
Thereareseveralquestionsyoucanaskyourselftotestthe
relationshipstrength:
 DoyouknowwhattheSMEdoesforwork?
 What(s)hedoesoutsideofworkforfun?
 Significantother’sname?
 Whetherornot(s)hehaskidsorpets?
 What’simportantaboutthecontentandaboutyourSME’scareer?
 Howdotheyprefertocommunicateworkwithyou?
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2) Honortheircontent.Regardlessofwhetheryou’rebuildinginstructionalcontentforclerks,
projectmanagers,doctors,oreducators,themostimportantthingispreservingthevoiceand
toneofthefieldandtheSME.Theircontentinyourwordsispowerful,buttheircontentintheir
wordshasaringofauthenticity.That’snottosayyouwon’tbeabletopolishandrefine,but
createasafeplaceforyoutomutuallyexploreandshapethecontenttogether.Thatway,there’s
trustthatthecontentwillbeingoodhandsandtreatedwithrespect.
3) Recognizethatyoucandomoretogether.AgreatpieceofcontentwithapassionateSMEbutno
instructionaldesignwon’tgoveryfarineducatingothers.Ittakesbothskillsets…domain
knowledgeandteachingknowledgetoeducateotherswiththecontent.
GettoKnowtheSME
Candorandcommunicationisabenchmarkofthe
healthandstrengthofarelationship.SME
interactionsarenodifferent.Firstyoubuilda
relationship,thenyoubuildyourcommunication
skills,andovertimeyou’rerewardedwithtrust.
It’sworththetimeinvestmenttogettoknowyour
SMEandhisorherworksoyoucanbuildthat
foundationfromdayone.
1) ResearchyourSME
It’salwaysagoodideatodosomeresearchon
yourSMEbeforeyouevenhaveyourfirstmeeting
withthem.Toolsyoucanusearealreadyatyour
fingertips.DoesyourSMEhaveawebpage?Does
theSMEhaveasocialmediapresence?
UsethefollowingsuggestedSMEResearchformtohelpyougatherinformationaboutyourSME.Things
thatyouarelookingforinclude:backgroundinformation,differentresourcesthattheymayhaveposted
orhaveaccessto,how(s)helikestointeractwiththeiraudiences,thingsthataremeaningfultothem,
history,andexpertise.
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SMEResearchTemplate
BasicInformation
SMEName:
Goesby:
ContactAddress:
Phone:
Preferredmodeofcontact;
Accessibility(highorlow):
Bio:
Expertise
Occupation:
Experience(yearsofwork,specialprojects,etc.):
Website:
Teachingpositions(andwhere):
Linktopublishedarticles/works:
Books:
Videos:
Socialmedialinks(Twitter,LinkedIn,Facebook,blog):
Preferences,specialties,distinctions:
Motivationfordoingwork:
ContentInformation
Centralideasorconcepts:
Targetaudience:
Preferencesorbiases:
Futuredirectionsofcontent:
Wordstosummarizetheirfocalpointandpriorities:
Areasofclarificationorconcern:
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EstablishingtheRelationship
Onceyoufeelprepared,it’stimetosetupthatfirstcallmeetingwithyourSME
soyoucankickofftheproject.Thisiswhereyou’llsetthetoneforthe
relationship,andlearnmoreaboutyourSME.Bytheendofityoushouldhave
acompleteprojectscopeofworkdocumentsoyou’rebothclearonwhat
you’redoing.AscopeofworkdocumentcanhelpyouandtheSMEdefinethe
parametersoftheprojectsoitcanreachsuccessfulcompletion.
Whenyouhavethismeeting:
 Showupearly
 Beprepared
 Beanactivelistener
 Asklotsofquestions
Fortheinitialmeetingit’sprobablyagoodideatosetthemeetingtolastaboutanhour.Regardlessof
thetimeyoutake,figurethatyouwillspendaboutathirdofitgettingtoknoweachother’sworkand
establishingtherelationship;athirdfocusedontheprojectvision,andthefinalthirdsettingupyour
schedule.Certainly,adjustthetimingtodependuponthecomplexityoftheprojectandyourschedule.
Doconcentrateondevelopingtherelationship.Divingrightintoworkisarecipeforastiff,detached
relationshipthatmakesitharderforyoutoworktogether.Lookforaconnectionpointoraplacewhere
youandtheSMEcanconnectonsomethingoutsidetheproject.Themaingoalistofindaconnection
thatsetsyouupforagotonon‐workpleasantriesthatyoucanrelyonthroughthecourseofyour
relationship.Overtimeyou’llbuildthissetofconnectionpointstoberobustanddeeperthantheyare
onthisfirstcall.Butit’syourjobtosetthestagetobecomfortablewitheachother.Onceyou’vebroken
theice,bereadywithsomestandardquestionsyoucanasktostarttherelationshipontherightfoot.
Someinitialquestionstoask:
 Whatdrewyoutothisfield?
 What’smostimportanttoyouabouthowyouteachthetopic?
 Ifthereisonemessageyouwanttoleaveinpeople’sminds,whatisit?
LettheSMEtalk‐‐‐youlisten!
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Instructional Design Project Kickoff – Scope of Work
InstructionalDesigner:
SME:
Kickoffcalldateandtime:
Contactdetails:
Phase1:EstablishingtheRelationship
Inthefirstpartofthecallyouwanttoestablishyourworkingrelationshipandapplythegreat
informationyou’vealreadyresearchedaboutyourSME.Thisportionofthecallmighttake10‐20
minutesdependingontotalcalllength.
1. Whatdrewyoutothisfield?
2. What’smostimportanttoyouabouthowyouteachthistopic?
3. Ifthere’sonethinkyourmessageshouldleaveinpeople’sminds,whatisit?
4. NotesaboutSMEspeechpatterns,interests,etc.:
Phase2:SettingupaSharedVision
Inthissecondpartofthecall,youwanttoestablishthescopeandvisionforyourproject.Thisportion
ofthecallmighttake10‐20minutesdependingontotalcalllength.
1. Whoistheaudience?
2. Whatdoestheaudienceneed?
3. Willthefinalproductbeamanual,anelearningcourse,avideocourse,atrainingguide,or
somethingelse?
4. Whattopicswillitcover?
5. Howlongwillitbe?
6. Howdoyoureachyouraudience?(Registerforclasses,obtainhandouts,etc.)
7. Howdoyouplanonhandingadministrativedetails?(Gettinginstructors,attendance,rooms,etc.)
Notesabouttheprojectspecifications:
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HousekeepingDetails
1. Communicationmethod(Phone,VideoChat,Email,Text,In‐person,etc.)?
2. Howdoyouliketogivefeedbacktome,andhowdoyouliketoreceivefeedbackfromme?
3. SMEavailabilityandyours(areyoufullydevotedtothisproject,bothjugglingthisandothers,
etc.)
4. Bigeventsonyourcalendars(Isthereanythingcomingupinyourscheduleorpersonallifethat
mightimpacttheproject?Ifso,howcanweplanaroundit?)
5. Anopenunderstandingofbudgetifit’sapartofyourproject—gettingasenseforwhatthe
availabilityisevenifyouaren’tfinalizing.
Phase3:BuildingaSchedule
Inthisfinalpartofthecall,youwanttoestablishthescheduleyou’llkeep.Thisportionofthecallmight
take10–20minutesdependingonthetotalcalllength.
1. Projectcompletiondate:
2. ProjectStartDate:
3. Projecttasklist:
4. Projectmilestonelist:
5. Sequencedschedule:
6. Accountabilitynotes:
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SettingaSharedVision
Thenextpartofyourcalliswhenyoushifttoprojectmode,talkingaboutthespecificsofwhatyou’llco‐
create.SomeoftheprojectdetailsmightbeonesyoudictateandothersmightbeonestheSMEweights
inon.Sothekeyisacollaborativeconversationtoagreeonoutcomesandestablishyourgroundrules.
You’llwanttonaildown:
 Whoyouraudienceis
 Whatdoestheaudienceneed
 Whatwillthefinalproductlooklike?(e.g.manual,e‐learning,etc.)
 Whattopicswillbecovered?
 Howlongwillitbe?
Eachofthesequestionsisgoingtotakealittlebitofconversationtoanswer.Sogiveyourselfspaceto
talkthroughtheprosandconsofthedifferentmethods/toolsyoucouldbuildthetrainingin,ortheways
amanualmightgetputtogether.You’llobviouslyshareyourguidanceandbestpracticeshere,while
yourSMEwilllikelytalkmoreaboutwhatthecontentwouldbenefitfromintheirminds.
You’llalsowanttoestablishsomehousekeepingdetailsinthispartofthecallsuchasthepreferred
communicationpreference,howyouliketogiveandreceivefeedback,yoursandyourSME’savailability,
andifthereareanybudgetortechnicalconcerns.Youdon’thavetofinalizeitrightnow.
BuildingaSchedule
Buildingaprojectscheduleisoneofthemostimportantgoalsofyourphonecallastheschedule
determineswhetheryougosomewherequicklyornowhereslowly.Usethefollowingfourstepprocess
tomakeschedulingpainless:
1. Determinethefinaldateandworkingbackwardstodeterminehowlongyouhavetocomplete
yourproject,andwhatyourstartdatewillbe.
2. Workoutthemajortasksthatneedtobeaccomplishedandhowlongtheytakebylistingour
everystepindetail.Besuretoputanestimatedtimetoaccomplisheachtasknexttothatspecific
task.
3. BuildaschedulebreakdownwithyourSMEthatincludesdatesanddeliverables.Youandyour
SMEshouldclarify:
 Whatisdue(document,feedback,meeting,etc.)
 Whoitisdueby(you,theSME,orsomeotherresource)
 Whenitisdue(aharddateandtime)
4. Establishagreementonaccountability.Discusswhatmeasuresyou’llagreetotakeforalatework
ordelays.Doesmissingamilestonehavesignificantimpactuponotherpartsofthetimeline?
IdentifythemostcriticalpiecesthatHAVEtogetdonesotheprojectdoesn’tcompletelyfail.
Thehardestpartoftheprojectusuallyistheaccountabilityaspect.Byestablishingaccountability
guidelines,it’shelpfultoseteveryoneinvolvedwiththeprojectupforsuccessbybeingextremely
organized.Youcanpopremindersonpeople’scalendarsforduedatesorsendprojectrecapemailsso
everyoneisclearonwhat’scomingwhen.
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Thinkofyourselfastheleader.It’syourjobtofacilitateotherdoingtheirs,sowhenindoubt,makesure
you’refindingoutthebestwaytocommunicatedeadlinesandscheduleprioritiestoeachpersonyour
projectaffects.Bytheendofthefirstmeeting,youandyourSMEshouldhaveaclearscopeofword
documentfortheproject.Itshouldincludescopedetails,whatIknownowaboutanybudgetor
technicalneeds,andatimeline.YoushouldsharetheScopeofWorkdocumentwithyourSMEfor
signoff.
Outlining the Content
Outliningthecontentisthepartoftheinstructionaldesign
thatbecomestheclayyouandyourSMEfashioninto
meaningfuleducation.Therearethreewaysthatyoucan
startthisprocess:
1) TheSMEoutlinesthecontentfromtheirmaterial,
thentheinstructionaldesignerandSMEeditit
together
2) Theinstructionaldesigneroutlinesthecontentfrom
backgroundmaterial,theSMEprovidesadditionalmaterials,andthentogetheryoubotheditit
3) TheinstructionaldesignerinterviewstheSMEanddevelopsandoutlineontheflyasyoubothare
talking.Youboththenedititattheend.
FirstApproach:SMEOutlinestheContentfromTheirMaterial
ThisfirstapproachiswheretheSMEdoesthefirstpassoutlineofthecontentandthentheinstructional
designertakesalooktocheckifit’sinstructionallysound,whetheritmakessensefortheaudience,and
ifthereareanyglaringholesorissues.
Approachworksfor:
 SeasonedSME’swhocanpracticallyoutlinecontentintheirsleep
 SME’swhoalsohavenaturalteachingability
 Thosewhohavealotoftimefortheproject
 Thosewholiketobeintimatelyinvolvedinhowtheircontentistranslated.
Approachdoesnotworkfor:
 BusySME’s
 Thosewhoarelessinterestedintheprojectasawhole
 SME’swhoareworkingwithyoubecausetheywanttodolesswork
 SME’swhoarenewtoteachingortranslatingtheircontent
Whatyou’llreviewforinthisapproach:
1) Flowandauthenticity
o Doestheoriginalcontentteachyouthetopic?
o Arethebigtopicsthereanddoyouseethekindsofwordsortermsthatyouwouldexpect?
o Doesitmatchthe70%test?Inotherwords,istheoutlinecontentaround70%ofwhat
you’dexpecttobethereatthelevelitneedstobeat?(Doesthecontentlookrightornot?)
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2) ContentChronology
o Ifyoureadtheseoutlinetitlesoneaftertheotherinsequencedoesthestorystartto
appear,doesthatstorymakesense?
3) FactFindingandwhatwearemissing
o What’snotthere/
o WhatdidIexpectandnotget?
o Anygapsoropportunities?
Frameoutlinefeedbackinquestionformratherthanimperativeformtoprotecttherelationshipyou’ve
establishedwithyourSME.
SecondApproach:InstructionalDesignerOutlinestheContentfromBackgroundMaterialsand
SME
ThisapproachiswheretheinstructionaldesignertakesafirstpassatoutlinethecontentwiththeSME
lookingovertheworktocheckforfactualcorrectness,ordering,andanymissedpoints.Thisapproach
iswheretheSMEappreciatesyourinitiativeandcanthenfactcheckandtweakyourwork,usuallywith
minimalchanges.YouwillneedfullaccesstotheSME’sdocuments,originalmaterial,andanynotesthey
haveaboutthecontent.
SometimestheSMEwillbesopressedfortimeorpooratoutlinethatitmakesthemostsenseto
everyoneforyoutodothefirstpass.Thisapproachcanoftenbemuchsimplerandmoreefficient,and
eventhequickestofthethreemethods.Inthelongrun,however,it’smuchbetterforeveryoneifyou
teachyourSMEtogiveyouwhatyouneedsothey’reinthedriver’sseatasopposedtoyoutakingthe
lead.Thatsaid,inhighproductioncapacitypipelines,tightdeadlineenvironments,orevensituations
whereyouknowexactlywhatyouwantapieceofcontenttolooklike,thisroutecanberightforyour
projects.
Usethisapproachasatoolatyourdisposalandmakethecallwhenit’senablingaSMEwhoshouldbe
doingitontheirown,andwhenit’stherightmethodforyourproject.
Approachworksfor:
 TheSMEwhohaslimitedtime
 Doesn’treallywanttobebotheredwiththeproject
 Isn’tusedtotouchingmuchofhisorhercontentanymorebecauseofothercommitmentsor
priorities
 SMEwhoiswillingtoshareanyandallexistingdocumentationrelatedtotheproject
Approachdoesnotworkfor:
 SME’snotwillingtoprovideyoufulldisclosureondocumentationthattheyhaverelatedtothe
contentoftheproject
 SME’swhoareusedtobeingveryinvolvedineachstep
 SME’sdevelopingcontentforaspecificmediumforthefirsttime
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Threethingstokeepinmind:
1) Adoptthemindsetofthelearner‐Youhavetohaveenoughconfidenceinthematerialandthe
backgroundresearchtopresentacrediblequalityoutline.Ifyoubarelyknowthetopicand
haven’tdoneallofyourhomework,thismethodisgoingtobackfire,andfast.Butifitscontent
youknowalotabout,maybeit’swhatyouusedtodo,you’vealreadydone10coursesinthisarea,
thenyou’lllikelyhavetheinformationyouneedtodoitjustice.
Atthesametime,youhavetoadoptthemindsetofthebeginnerlearner.Thebalanceisknowing
enoughtoguidethecontent,butbeingabletoseparatewhatyoumightknowfromwhatthe
learnerneedstoknow.
2) Thinkchronologically‐Askyourselfquestionssuchas“..thenwhathappens?”WhatwouldIneed
todofirst?Whataretheover‐archingprinciples?Whatotherquestionswouldcomeup?The
SMEwillhavetovalidateyourinstincthere.
3) InviteSMEcollaborationonthosefinaltouches–You’rebuildingtheskeletonofthecoursewhen
youdoanoutline.Ithastobesturdy,buttheSMEhastomakethatskeletonintoaliving
breathingthing.Givethemenoughtoshapeandworkwithsothefinalproductiscohesiveand
sensible,butatthesametime,letthemmakethosefinaleditsandtweakstobringthecontentto
life.Havethemlookforfactualcorrectness,orderoftopics,andforanymissedpoints.
ThelastthingtheinstructionaldesignerwantstheSMEtothinkisthattheinstructionaldesigneris
tellingthemhowthecontentneedstobe.Rather,youwanttoaskquestionsthatalearnermighthaveso
thatitgivestheSMEtheopportunitytothinklikeabeginnerratherthanastheexpertthattheyare.
Doneright,theoutlineyouputtogethercanbeelegant,fast,andhelpful,butitalwayscomesbacktothat
collaborationbetweenthetwoofyouthatbringsthecontenttolife.
ThirdApproach:InstructionalDesignerInterviewsSMEandDevelopsContentOutlineontheFly
InthisapproachtheInstructionalDesignerusesthepowerofquestionstoelicitanoutlinefromtheSME
inaconversationalformat.TheInstructionalDesignerassumesthepersonaofthestudentofthis
contentandasksthequestionsthatthebeginnermighthavetodeterminewhatbelongsandinwhat
order.Theyarebuildingtheoutlineonthefly.Later,thecontentisthensharedbackwiththeSMEfor
reviewandedits.Thebenefitsofthismethodiscondensingthetimeitmaytakethatbackandforth
collaborationmighthave.Well‐craftedquestionsareopen‐endedandmeanttoinviteexplorationofa
topic.Thinkofthefivew’sandoneh–who,what,when,where,why,andhowquestions.Thesetypesof
questionsbringclaritytothepersonansweringthemandgivetheSMEnewopportunitiestothinkof
theircontentdifferently.Topullthisoff,youneedtoknowenoughabouttheSME’scontenttoaskthese
questions,butnotsomuchthatyou’veformedthesehardandfastopinions.
Approachworksfor:
 SME’swhohaven’tfoundtheheartoftheircontentyetanddon’tknowexactlywhattheywantto
sayorhowtoboildowneverythingtheyknowintowhat’srelevantforthisproject
 SME’swholikethehumaninteractionandneedtothinkoutloudtodotheirbestwork
 SME’swhohavetimetodevotetotheprojectandseeanumberofwayswecouldsliceanddice
thecontent
Approachdoesn’tworkfor:
 SME’swhoneedtotaketheleadintheprocess
 Needmultiplecollaboratorsontheirendtobringalltheircontenttogether
 Haveareallyrigidideaofwhattheircontentshouldlooklike
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Questionstoask:
IntroductoryQuestions:
 Whatarethebiggestpainpointsabout
thiscontent?
 What’sthefirstthingpeopleneedto
knowaboutthiscontent?
 Wheredopeoplestumble?
 What’sthemostimportantthingyou
wanttoleavelearnerswithoncethey
learnthiscontent?
 Ifyouhadtodistillyourcontentintoajustafewmainpoints,what’sthefirstpointyou’d
make?Whataretheotherones?
 Isthereasystemorprocessyouusetoexplainthiscontent?
 Whatoftensurprisespeopleaboutthiscontent?
Mid‐OutlineQuestions
 Sothat’sStep1.Whathappensnext?
 SoletmerecapwhatI’munderstanding.Thencanyoutellmeifwehaveany
discrepancies?
 Isthereasequenceoranordertothispartoftheprocess?
 Doesthisconnectbackto(somethingelsethat’sbeenmentioned)?
 Aretheseconceptslinked?
RecapQuestions
 Whatarewemissing?Didweleaveanythingkeyout?
 Didwecoveralltheplacessomeonemightstumbleinlearningthisandgivethem
solutions?
 WhatwillIbeabletodowhenI’mdonegoingthroughthiscontentwe’recreating?
 Letmesharethesequenceoftopicsbackwithyou.CanyouletmeknowifIhaveanyin
thewrongorder?
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Tips for Managing Deliverables
ThewayyouworkwithyourSMEontheirdeadlinesaffectstheir
abilitytomeetthosedeadlines.Thedifferencebetweenputtinga
calendarreminderontheirscheduleversusanemailthattellsthem
theirduedatescansometimesbethedifferencebetweenwhetheror
nottheyblowthedeadlineoffortheygettheirinformationturned
inearly.Herearesometipstohelpyoumanageyourdeliverables:
 Phonethem.Providephonecheck‐insregularlytostayin
touch.
 Useacollaborationprojectmanagementtoolsuchas
asana.comortrello.com
 Providecalendarreminders.PlacecalendarremindersontheSME’scalendarifyouneedtokeep
themmoving.Youshouldputareminderaweekbeforetheduedateandasecondonthedate
itself.
 Makesureexpectationsareclear.Specificityandcleardeliverableexpectationswillmakeyour
projectsuccessful.Youcansaythingslike“Sendmethatoutlinebythe15th.Youshouldalways
beclearwhatyouwant,whoisresponsibleforgettingitdone,andwhenthetaskisdue.
 Consistencyindeliverablesmayalsohelp.MakeyourdeliverablesonMondaystogiveyourSME
theweekendifneedbe.
 Haveonemasterschedulethatshowswhat’sneededandgivestheSMEavisuallypleasingbig
picture.YoucanuseGoogleDrive,Asana.com,Excelorsomeothersolution.Thisshouldbekept
inaplacethatbothyouandtheSMEcanaccess.
MotivatingandEngagingtheSME
Thebestinstructionaldesignersknowhowtowearmultiplehats,sometimesallinthespaceofanhour
ofprojectwork.Youmayhavetoplaytheroleoftaskmaster,cheerleader,coach,editor,project
manager,andfriend.MotivatingandengagingyourSMEsisoneofthemostcriticalpartsofbuildingand
maintainingastrongrelationshipanddesigningthebestinstructionforyouraudience.
1. Developanabilitytoputyourselfintheirshoes,orhaveempathy,andusethattoframeyour
collaboration.Listen,care,andproblem‐solve,andtrytounderstandthemratherthan
commandingthemortellingthemwhattodo.Theinstructionaldesignprocessisn’tanaturalone
formanySME’s.It’smoreofanextrataskontopofafull‐timejob,oranexercisethatstretches
theminanuncomfortableway.Sure,someofthemaredoingitaspartoftheirjob,butevenso,
takealeadershiproleinthiscollaboration,andmakeityourjobtodevelopempathyasyour
default.Evenwhenyoumightbefrustrated,orfeellikeyou’redoingalltheheavylifting,ifyou
lookatitasyourjobtomakeeveryoneontheprojectsuccessful,itreframesyoureffortsina
positivelight.
2. Buildsuccessspots.ThisiswhereyourSMEhasquickfrequentwinsthatbuildsmomentumand
interestincontinuingstrongontheproject.
3. Makeityourjobtobetransparentandfeedbackfriendly.Noticeandappreciatetheworkyour
SMEisdoing,andletthemknowhowit’sgoing.
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BenicetoyourSMEandmakethecollaboration,theschedule,andthefeedback,opportunitiesto
connect,ratherthanconfront.Alittlekindnessgoesalongway.
IncorporatingFeedback
Youcantellyou’regivingfeedbackwellwhenyourSMEtells
youthatyoumakethemsoundandlookbetter.
1) Alwaysprovidedirectfeedback.“Bob,Iknowyoutold
meyouwanteddirectfeedbackwhenweneedtomakea
change.Sointhespiritofthatrequest,Ireallythinkwe
needtochangehowthispartiswritten.”.
2) Avoidthe“feedbacksandwich”.Thesandwichiswhere
youwouldsayagoodthing,athingthatneedstobe
workedon,andthenanothergoodthing.Theproblem
withthismethodisthatitsendsamixedmessagetotheSME.Theyheardtwopositivesandone
negative,so,whatiftheyonlyrememberthepositiveandforgetwhatyouneedthemtodo?Look
forspecific–standalone‐momentswhengoodfeedback…andonlygoodfeedbackcanbegiven.
Thiswaywhenyouneedtogivecriticalfeedback,youcanconcentrateondeliveringonlythis.
Don’tdelivermixedmessages.Keepyourmessagesclear.
3) SME’swillalsogiveyoufeedback.Regardlessofwhetheritisdirector“fluffy”youwillneedto
havethickskin.
4) SME’sconsidertheirworksacred.Itoftenrepresentshundredsofhoursofwork,hardchoices,
longhours,anddeepthought.Anythingthatforcesthemtoreconsiderorchangewhattheyare
usedtodoingrequiresamentalshiftandalotofmaturityabouttheirbaby.Handleyour
feedbackwithcare,butdosodirectly.
ResolvingCommonObstacles
OftentimeswhenworkingwithSME’sthere
areseveralcommonobstaclesthatwillcrop
up.Luckily,thereareremediesforeachof
themthatreallyrestonyousetting
expectationsandfollowingthroughwith
yourSMEonyourscopeofwork.
1) SMEmisjudgestheamountoftime
yourcollaborationwilltake.They
canreachabreakingpoint,or
droppingofftheradarpoint,where
it’sradiosilencewhenyou’re
expectingdeliverablesorinformationtorollin.Theremedy,giveyourSMEanideaupfrontof
whomuchofajobthiswillbeforthem,howlongitwillbe,andthatitwillbeaprocessofgiving
andtakingfeedback.
2) Askforthecommitmentyouneed.Don’tjustleaveitatthatwithyourestimate,beblunt.Can
yougivemethetimeofthreetofivehours?It’simportantforyouandtheSMEtohearthatyesor
noupfrontsoyoucancontinuetoreferbacktoitifthingsgetdicey.
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3) IfyourSMEisinanon‐cooperativestage,it’softenhelpfultotakeyourrequestsofflineandputin
aphonecall.Addresstheelephantintheroomexpeditiously.Youcanbedirectbytellingyour
SME“We’reindangerofneedingtocancelournextmeetingbecausewearen’tpreparedforitifI
don’thaveyourfeedbackbyFriday.”
4) TheSMEstartstogetreallyuncomfortablewiththecollaborationanddefensiveaboutthe
contentandhowit’schangingtoaccommodatethisformatoraudience.Youmayhearremarks
suchas“Idon’tknowhowyoucouldpossiblytakewhatIdoandmakeitaonehourtraining
course”or“…butyoudon’tunderstand”orlastly,“there’snowaythiscanwork”.Youmayhear
criticismbehindyourbacktoteammembers,snidecomments,etc.You’llneedtohavethickskin
here.Realizethatthistypeofobstaclecomesfromaplaceofinsecuritywiththemedium,orthe
contentchanges,ormaybeeventhewholearrangement.Doyourbesttoemployempathy.It’s
yourjobtocreateanatmosphereofcomfortandcollaborationalways.Trysoothingthesepangs
ofinsecuritywithsimplere‐directsbyacknowledgingtheSME’sfrustration.Tellthemthatyou
needtheirexpertisetofinishtheproject.Thendirectlyaskthem“Canyouhelpmeunderstand
whatweneedtoadjusttofinishthelastpartofourworktogether?”It’syourjobtohelptheSME
beascomfortableaspossible.
5) TheSMEbecomesaloof.Thisislikelybecausethey’vestartedanotherprojectorbecausethey
trustwhatyou’redoingsomuchthattheydon’tseetheneedtokeepinvestingintherelationship.
Thishappenslikeakindofshorthandwhenyou’veworkedwithsomeoneforawhile,andyou
havethattrustbuiltup.Ifithappensearlyoroftenonprojectwhereyouneedalotof
participation,itcanbeaproblem.Aremedythatoftenhelpsistoremindthemofyoursandthe
SME’scommitmentandreiterationofwhatyouneedtoproceed.Youcansaysomethinglike
“Bob,Ilovethatyoutrustmetofinalizethishandoutsonmyown,andI’mgoingtoassumethatif
youdon’teditthemfurtherbeforeFridaythatyou’realsosigningoffonallthecontentbeing
accurate”.
Tellingsomeoneyou’llassumeinactionequalsanapprovalorafinalizationoftenjoltsthemback
toresponsibilityifthey’vebeenfocusedelsewhere.Thekeytohandlingeveryobstaclethat
comesupisnotthesemagicphrasestoturnthecollaborationaround,thoughtheyareterrific.
It’smoreaboutanunderstandingofhowtomotivateandengageyourSMEandcontinuetocreate
acomfortableenvironment.Thisiswhereyourleadershipskillsgetaseriousworkoutonsome
projects,andalsowhereyoudevelopthestrengthtohandleanySMEinteractionwithgraceand
poise.
Summary
InthiscourseyoulearnedwhataSMEis,tipsonrelationshipbuilding,outliningthecontentofyour
training,andstepstoworkingwiththeSMEtomanagedeliverables.
LastUpdated:April9,2015
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