Tips for interviewing SMEs: the key notions

Do or don't? Choose what a good interviewer does.À faire ou à éviter ? Choisis ce que fait un bon intervieweur.

express interest in the SME's knowledge.
start with a little conversation to build rapport.
go into the meeting without having studied the subject.
tell the SME what you need from them.
ask « Give me a scenario when… ».
summarise and paraphrase the SME's points regularly.
ignore the SME when they get distracted.
send the questions to the SME before the meeting.
expect the SME to give your project top priority.
research the topic yourself when there is no SME.
assume that an expert knows how to teach.

Watch the passage again (the times are given) and drag the missing words into the text.Regarde à nouveau le passage (le minutage est indiqué) et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le texte.

0:17 → 1:06
You're working with people who are experts in their field, right? Or they were selected for a reason to be your subject matter expert. So when you're trying to do that, you have to first kind of think of their and respect the that they have. Your job is to the information out of them, which a lot of times you can get with a . But you express that in their knowledge, and then with that, you're building that rapport. You're starting with that little, like, , so that if they've never done this before, you can make that little . You're showing that for their knowledge.

Next: active listening →

Watch the passage again (the times are given) and drag the missing words into the text.Regarde à nouveau le passage (le minutage est indiqué) et fais glisser les mots manquants dans le texte.

2:13 → 2:47
And just be a good listener. Ask open-ended probing questions. I never say, like, « Give me a when… ». So: « Tell me about a when you had to use that skill », or those types of things. And then I think the key thing, like, one of my designers does a really good job: he always and them really well. He's like: « All right, this is the information that you gave me. Am I this properly? » So regularly paraphrasing their points, to make sure you're understanding.

Next: key notions →

Drag each definition next to the right notion.Fais glisser chaque définition en face de la bonne notion.

an icebreaker
an order taker
active listening
front-end work
an info dump
a probing question
on the fly
rapport
to ruminate on something
to go in blind
a facilitator

Next: what would you say? →

What would a good instructional designer say or do? Choose the best answer.Que dirait ou ferait un bon concepteur pédagogique ? Choisis la meilleure réponse.

First meeting with an SME who has never done this before and looks nervous. You start with:
You want an example of a skill in action. You ask:
The SME has just explained a complex process. You say:
The SME starts talking about last year's office party. You say:
Your SME is very busy and keeps postponing. You:
No SME is available, only a folder of notes and video transcripts. You:

Next: reporting what the SME said →

Read the rule, then write the verbs in reported speech (the verb of the quote is given).Lis la règle, puis écris les verbes au discours indirect (le verbe de la citation est donné).

Reporting what the SME said (in your notes, or to your team)
After the interview, you report the SME's words: « Tell me about a time when… » becomes a story you have to pass on. In reported speech, the verb usually goes one step back in the past:
« I work with fourteen people. » → The guest said (that) they worked with fourteen people.
« We're dealing with insurance. » → The guest said they were dealing with insurance.
« They went online. » → The guest said the designers had gone online.
« I've never done this. » → He said he had never done that.
« I will / can send you a note. » → The manager said she would / could send me a note.
Questions: « Am I understanding this properly? » → He asked if he was understanding it properly (statement word order, no question mark).
Careful: say something (to someone) · tell someone something: She told me that… / She said that… (never ~~she said me~~). Also change this → that, here → there.

« I work with fourteen people. » → The guest said that they (work) with fourteen people.
« We're dealing with insurance. » → The guest said that they (deal) with insurance.
« They went online and found some videos. » → The guest said that the designers (go) online and (find) some videos.
« I'll give them an info dump. » → The guest said that they (give) them an info dump.
« I've never done this before. » → The SME said that he (never do) that before.
« I can't meet you this week. » → The SME told me that she (not can meet) me that week.
« Am I understanding this properly? » → The designer asked if he (understand) it properly.
« Do you have a time when you did this? » → I asked her if she (have) a time when she (do) that.
« What's a CPAP? » → One of the designers asked what a CPAP (be).
« Send me a note if you have a question. » → The guest told the designers (send) them a note if they (have) a question.

Next: your turn →

Your turn: no SME? Be a detective.À toi : pas d'expert ? Mène l'enquête.

1. Think about it (discuss with a partner, or in class):

The guest says SMEs are « harder » in the academic world. Do you agree? Think of your own teachers…
« Just because they're an expert doesn't mean that they can teach. » Can you think of an example from your own studies?
Info dump or weekly meetings: which would you prefer as a junior designer? And as a manager?

2. No SME? Be a detective. You must design a short course on a topic you know nothing about (for example: how a breathing machine works, how to read a pay slip, how to file an insurance claim). In groups, list: the sources you would use (and how reliable they are), the people you could ask, and the three precise questions you would send to an SME who only has five minutes.

3. Report to your team (orally, or on a sheet of paper): after the role-play, tell another pair what your SME said, using reported speech: « She told me that she had… She explained that… She said she would… »