How to Train Your SME
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Technical communicators often rely on subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide information for training and documentation projects. It is the technical communicator’s job to focus the information provided by the SME to match the learning objectives and to translate the SME’s technical language to one that the learning audience understands. This lightning talk presented the following: How to train the SME to focus on the needs of the learners. How SMEs are responsible for the content and how the technical communicator is responsible for the delivery method. How the technical communicator should respect that SMEs may have a better understanding of what the learners need to know.
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How to Train Your SME
- 1. 2015 HOW TO TRAIN YOUR SME Chuck Campbell
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- 10. KEEP IT SIMPLE. DON’T SHARE EVERYTHING. FOCUS ON ACTION.
- 20. Contact Information Charles E. Campbell 319 1st Street Canastota, NY 13032 607-373-0910 3phasetraining@gmail.com www.3phasetraining.com
Notas del editor
- We Technical Communicators most often rely on Subject Matter Experts, or SMEs, to provide the technical information that we are trying to communicate. SMEs are usually highly trained in their field of expertise, but they sometimes have to be trained on how to be an SME for effective technical communication.
- At the beginning of a project, you and the SME may be perfectly in sync and AGREE on the technical content and how that content gets communicated to others. Although this does happen on some projects, it is not always the case.
- There may be a CONFLICT between you and he SME on what level of detail of technical information needs to be included and how the information should be communicated. This CONFLICT is sometimes due to a miscommunication between you and the SME. Therefore, you may need to “train” your SME at the beginning of the project.
- SMEs are valuable resources with lots of technical knowledge, and they want to share that knowledge with others. Often times they want to share too much of their vast knowledge, and you end up with INFORMATION OVERLOAD. So, you have to figure out how to sort out the information into what is important.
- Depending on the SME, you may not get enough information. The SME either may not know how to provide the information you need, what information you need, or he or she may want to keep the information to themselves.
- So, how do you deal with SMEs that provide too much, or too little, information? COMMUNICATION is the key. Both you and the SME should work together to determine what information is necessary, how it will be communicated, and who the target audience will be.
- You must help the SME understand that it is not the “technical information” that is most important. It is how the target audience will use the KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS gained from the information that is the ultimate objective.
- It is our job as technical communicators to work with the SME to identify what the target audience really needs and “train” the SME how to provide only that level of detail. By identifying the LEARNING OBJECTIVES for the target audience, we can get the SMEs to focus on the technical information required to accomplish the goal. “Teach them everything they need to know, but no more.”
- One way to guide the SME is to provide PREPARED QUESTIONS, or a checklist, developed from the learning objectives. The questions should be designed to limit the information provided by the SME who wants to share everything, while encouraging the “silent” SME to provide more information.
- This slide should be self-explanatory. You must train the SME to keep the information simple, don’t share everything, and focus on action (how the end user will use the information).
- More often than not, SMEs want to include way too much information. You, the Technical Communicator, will need to ask the SME to go back and STREAMLINE the CONTENT so that it coincides with the learning objectives and targets the knowledge and skills of the target audience.
- What if the SME DISAGREES with you on what the target audience needs to know? You must embrace their concerns, and openly discuss the learning objectives with the SME. They may have a better idea of what the target audience needs than you.
- Please keep in mind that in order to get the SME to give in to your requests, you may have to give to requests as well. No. You shouldn’t have pay them off, but you will have to compromise in some situations.
- After the training content is developed and submitted to the SME for review, some SMEs come back with only grammatical comments, or changes that do not effect the material content, and they did not look at the accuracy of the material at all. This usually because they just assumed that you have added all the technical content they wanted, and now they are just trying to “clean” it up.
- This is where you need to get the SME BACK ON TRACK, and help them understand that their role in technical communication is to make sure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and pertinent to the learning objectives.
- By now, you should have your SME trained on how to FOCUS the information they deliver, and review, to the learning objectives, and understand that the knowledge and skills gained from the information is most important. They should now understand that keeping the information simple, focusing on action, and not sharing everything results in better communications.
- At the end, and maybe even throughout the project, you should ACKNOWLEDGE the SME, and give them credit where credit is due. After all, without their technical knowledge and assistance, you would have had to work much harder to obtain the information you needed for the target audience, if at all.
- Never forget to THANK the SME for their help. Even on “bad” projects, because you never know when you need to rely on them again.
- After all, not all SMEs are FIRE BREATHING DRAGONS. Even though it may seem that way at times. Does anyone have any questions?
- Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or need an SME trained.