1. Before the interview 2. During the interview 3. After the interview
Choose the right answer. Check: the explanation tells you which document it comes from. Choisis la bonne réponse. Vérifie : l'explication indique de quel document elle vient.
What should everyone agree on before anything else? The deadline for the SME The authoring tool to use The goal of the training The number of slides Video 1 and Text 3: « What are the goals of the program? » What should you do before you meet the SME? Send the SME a finished storyboard Ask the SME to write a first draft Prepare a long presentation on learning Study what already exists on the topic Texts 1 and 2, video 2: « Don't go into that meeting blind. » How long should an interview about one process last, according to Text 1? About ten minutes About thirty minutes About half a day About ninety minutes « Not ninety »: a long booking looks like a project, and projects get postponed. What is a discovery session? A short training session for SMEs on learning theory A brainstorming session about the visual design An early meeting about the learners, the purpose and the outcomes A final review of the finished course with the client Text 3. Why set expectations at the start of the interview? So the SME can prepare slides and documents for the next meeting So the SME knows the audience, the aim and that you may interrupt So the SME knows how long it lasts and how much they will be paid So the SME can decide which questions they want to answer Video 1: « This is for new hires, this is the audience… I'm going to pull you back. » Why start with a little conversation before the questions? To find out how much the SME really earns To check that the SME speaks good enough English To build rapport and show you value their knowledge To fill the time while the recording starts Video 2: « it can be scary » for an SME. Why send your questions to the SME before the meeting? So they can write the answers for you So they can choose the questions they like So the meeting can be much shorter So they have time to think of real examples Video 2: « let them ruminate on it », rather than asking on the fly. What should you promise the SME, according to Text 1? A short thank-you gift A written version they can correct A free place on the course A copy of the full recording « I'll send you the written version tomorrow, you tell me what I got wrong. » Check Show the answers Start again
Next: during the interview →
Choose the right answer. Choisis la bonne réponse.
Which questions get the richest answers? Closed questions: Do, Did, Is, Are… Stacked questions: several in one breath Open-ended questions: What, How, Tell me about… Leading questions that suggest the answer Text 2: open-ended questions are « the single biggest lever ». Which question gets a real story from the SME? « Give me a scenario when you would… » « Is this skill important in your job? » « Do you often have to use this skill? » « Tell me about a time when you had to… » Video 2: « I never say give me a scenario when… » The SME answers « It depends. » What do you do? Ask the client to decide instead of the SME Ask « Depends on what? » until you get a rule Write « it depends » in your notes and move on Change the subject to avoid any confusion Text 1: « it depends » hides a decision rule. The SME goes off the rails. What do you do? Write everything down, just in case Let them talk until they stop by themselves End the meeting and book another one Bring them back to the goal, without dismissing them Videos 1 and 2: remind them of the goal, « but not dismissing them ». What is « the curse of knowledge »? Experts forget the details of their own job Experts know less than they say they do Experts forget what it is like not to know Experts refuse to share what they really know Text 2: so they skip « obvious » steps and use jargon. Why should you sometimes stay silent? It shows the SME that you don't agree with them It lets you check that the recording works It gives the SME time to think and add details It makes the interview shorter and cheaper Text 2: « Resist the urge to fill a pause. » What is « mirroring »? Copying the SME's body language Reading your notes out loud Asking the same question twice Repeating the SME's last few words Text 2: « 50 meters into the ground? » Why paraphrase, or read back, what the SME said? To check your understanding while mistakes are cheap to fix To fill the silence when the SME stops talking To show the SME that you are an expert too To make the recording easier to transcribe later Texts 1 and 2, video 2: « Am I understanding this properly? » « We are glorified interpreters. » What is the L&D team's job? Turning expert knowledge into something learners can use Deciding which experts the company should hire Translating documents into other languages Interpreting the SME's body language Video 1. « If learners could only remember three things, what would they be? » What is this question for? Ending the interview in a polite way Making the SME prioritise what really matters Testing how good the SME's memory is Cutting the course down to three screens Text 3. Check Show the answers Start again
Next: after the interview →
Choose the right answer. Choisis la bonne réponse.
When is the interview finished? When the SME has nothing more to tell you When you can write every section without guessing When the time you booked with the SME is over When you have asked every question on your list Text 1: « Stop when you can write it. » Should you record the interview? No, handwritten notes are always more reliable Yes, always, even without asking the SME first No, recordings make experts too nervous to talk Yes, with permission, but it doesn't replace the read-back Texts 1 and 3. What does « Never invent » mean? If the SME didn't say it, mark the gap and ask Never add examples or stories of your own Use the SME's exact words and nothing else Never change the order the SME gave Text 1, rule 4. How does a storyboard review work in Text 3? The SME rewrites the storyboard alone, then sends it The SME comments with tracked changes, then a short call The client checks it, and the SME never sees it The whole team rewrites it together in a meeting Agreement is captured before production begins. Why be empathetic with your SME? SMEs often refuse to answer questions SMEs are usually very sensitive people SMEs are paid much less than designers Being an SME comes on top of their regular work Video 2: their regular work doesn't decrease. No SME is available, only a pile of notes. What do you do? Copy the notes into the course just as they are Dig into the content and research it like a detective Tell the client the project can't be done Wait patiently until an SME is available again Video 2: « We can't just be order takers. » « Just because they're an expert doesn't mean that they can teach. » So… experts should take a teaching degree that's why instructional designers are needed experts should never be interviewed designers should become experts first Video 2. Check Show the answers Start again
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