Interviewing a subject matter expert (B2)
As an instructional designer, you are the expert in learning, not in cybersecurity, insurance or surgery. The knowledge you need is in the head of a subject matter expert (SME), and your job is to get it out: set clear goals, ask the right questions, and keep the expert on track.
In this course, you are going to read what professionals recommend, watch them share their methods, and prepare your own SME interview in English.
Read
Three articles, three points of view: read each one, check your understanding, and learn the key terms.
- Text 1 – A six-step ladder for SME interviews Frame, Walk, Probe, Verify, Cover, Write: a strict method to get a real procedure out of an expert.
- Text 2 – Active listening in SME interviews The curse of knowledge, open questions, silence and mirroring: listen better, get better stories.
- Text 3 – What makes a great SME interview? Discovery, blueprint, storyboard: how an eLearning company turns SME interviews into a course.
Watch
Each unit: the main ideas, then the exact words; the key passages and the language you need; your turn (prepare and role-play); a final test; the key words.
- Unit 1 – Getting good information from SMEs: start the activities « We are basically glorified interpreters. » How do you stop an expert from going off the rails?
- Unit 2 – Tips for interviewing SMEs: start the activities Building rapport, doing your homework, active listening… and what do you do when there is no SME at all?
Wrap-up
- What to remember: the essential notions Before, during and after the interview: twenty-five questions on the three articles and the two videos.
- Your turn: interview an SME (role-play in pairs) Everyone is an SME of something: interview your partner, then practise with a chatbot at home.
On your own
After the class: a longer video to watch and work on at your own pace.
- Unit 3 – Working with SMEs: start the activities Client, SME or designer: who calls the shots? Devlin Peck on goals, action maps and clarifying questions.