1. For
many
of
us,
our
success
as
professional
communicators
depends
on
how
successfully
we
work
with
SMEs.
1
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

2. The
ideas
in
this
presenta-on
are
based
on
wri-ng
techniques,
however,
they
are
valid
for
use
in
other
professions.
2
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

3. Always
remember:
ProducGve
relaGonships
with
SMEs
don’t
happen
by
accident.
3
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

4. The
acquisiGon
of
informaGon
is
managed
for
some
writers.
4
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

5. Situa-on
normal
in
some
departments
and
companies:
Providing
informaGon
to
the
tech
writer
is
low
priority.
(But,
what’s
up
with
that?)
5
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

6. With
shy
and
elusive
SMEs,
we
find
that
their
bad
behaviors
oFen
fall
into
two
categories:
• Avoidance
• Antagonism
6
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

7. We
resort
to
hun-ng
SMEs.
7
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

8. SME
hunGng
by
tech
writers
tends
to
fall
into
three
categories:
• Stalking
• Using
clever
lures
to
draw
them
into
traps
• Making
offers
they
can’t
refuse
8
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

9. What
if
you
could
get
SMEs
to
seek
you
out
in
order
to
give
you
info?
! I’d
die
of
surprise.
! I
wouldn’t
know
what
to
do
with
all
the
Gme
I’d
be
saving.
! I’d
know
for
certain
that
I
was
dreaming.
9
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

10. OK,
let’s
dream
about
some
reali-es:
• Most
people
like
to
talk
shop.
• Most
people
like
to
tell
their
stories.
• Good
storytellers
always
have
audiences.
• Almost
everyone
wants
to
be
an
author.
10
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

11. Here’s
a
key
convenient
truth:
Almost
no
one
wants
to
do
the
hard
work
of
wri-ng,
and
that’s
where
we’re
the
experts.
☺
11
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

12. SME
Hunter
vs.
Knowledge
Partner
SME
hunter
Knowledge
partner
Short-­‐term
focus:
Concerned
with
immediate
project.
Long-­‐term
focus:
Builds
knowledge
base
for
later
projects
and
expands
your
influence.
Quick
fixes:
Driven
by
necessity,
results
can
be
uneven.
Able
to
address
problems
at
their
source:
results
are
higher
in
quality.
Seen
by
others
as
necessary
evil,
annoyance,
obstacle,
or
roadblock.
Seen
by
other
as
a
contributor
and
part
of
the
team.
Not
integrated
into
project.
Fully
integrated
into
project.
Ofen
excluded.
Ofen
invited
and
included.
12
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

13. The
magic
elixir:
We’ve
got
story!
The
art
and
craf
of
wriGng
gives
us
an
amazingly
powerful
set
of
tools…
13
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

14. We
writers
are
astute
observers.
Within
our
roles
as
writers,
we
make
careful
observaGons
with
respect
to:
• Sejngs
• Characters
• Dramas
14
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

15. Working
as
knowledge
partners,
we:
• Set
the
stage
for
collaboraGon.
• IdenGfy
SME
“red
flag”
behavior
and
deflect
their
pull
into
unproducGve
dramas.
• Realize
that
we
control
our
own
acGons
and
not
those
of
others.
• Respect
others:
listen
carefully
to
their
stories,
show
appropriate
empathy,
and
stay
flexible.
• Recognize
that
communicaGon
skills
are
useful
beyond
the
page
and
use
them
to
build
mutually
beneficial
relaGonships.
15
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

16. Observe
your
work
sejng.
Ques-ons
about
your
company
culture
to
answer
and
revisit
occasionally:
• Is
the
work
environment
informal
or
formal?
• Is
the
power
structure
hierarchical
or
is
power
shared,
implicitly
or
explicitly?
• What
are
the
spoken/unspoken
rules?
• Are
there
hidden
agendas?
16
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

17. SME
roles
(character)
within
sejng
An
SME
responds
as
a
character
within
a
seNng.
Scop
Myer’s
five
character
archetypes:
Protagonist
Nemesis
Apractor
Mentor
Trickster
How
do
you
see
your
SME?
How
does
your
SME
see
you?
17
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

18. An
essenGal
“how
to”
for
creaGng
drama:
What
a
character
wants
is
at
odds
with
what
they
need.
So,
how
do
we
reduce
office
drama?
18
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

19. Dealing
with
unintenGonal
sabotage
• Recognize
when
our
SMEs’
well-­‐intenGoned
efforts
cause
problems.
• Recognize
when
our
own
well-­‐intenGoned
efforts
cause
problems.
You
can
usually
get
your
project
back
on
track
aFer
an
incident
of
uninten-onal
sabotage.
19
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

20. More
on
unintenGonal
sabotage
• Special
case:
the
talented
SME
with
character
flaws
• Special
case:
when
you
as
a
writer
discover
that
a
situaGon
is
pushing
you
beyond
your
limits
20
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

21. While
most
sabotage
is
unintenGonal,
occasionally
it’s
not…
21
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney

22. Expanding
on
strengths,
both
ours
and
others:
We
can
make
everyone
look
beper.
22
The
Reluctant
SME;
©
2014
Elisa
Sawyer,
MS
and
Ann
Marie
Queeney