See the results of our LinkedIn poll: What is the hardest part of working with Subject Matter Experts?
Working with subject matter experts or SMEs can be tough, sometimes. As our guest writer, Tanya Thampipop, explains, “What many instructional designers forget is that they are subject matter experts as well, they are the SME of learning!”
elearningdesigners.org polled our LinkedIn audience members on the question: “What is the hardest part about working with subject matter experts or SMEs?” 453 people answered our poll with 29% of participants voted for “scheduling time”; 13% voted for “getting buy-in”; 50% voted for “limiting scope”; and finally, 8% voted for “identifying SME.”
Participant Comments
“The two toughest parts are first understanding their SME technoslang and translating it into what an untrained person can understand, and then getting an [sic] SME to explain reasoning behind steps so obvious to them that they need no explanation.”
Dan Elder
“Who says it’s hard? I’ve worked with some very brilliant SMEs and the only neck in the bottle is me understanding their complex thoughts and ideas and converting them to everyday WBT training for the masses.”
Paul Zamora
