A few tips from my own experience working with SMEs include:
1) Identify your SMEs right away. It may be a good idea to not only have a content SME, but also a past trainee SME who can speak to the learner's experience, and/or a client SME, who can speak to desired learning outcomes.
2) Determine your SMEs availability; schedule meetings early and often. Since SMEs usually have full-time jobs, it is not uncommon for SMEs to be extremely busy individuals. Schedule meetings throughout your entire analysis and design process from the beginning.
3) Use your time with SMEs wisely. Prepare, prepare, prepare. Do your own research. Come up with your own content questions and send to the SME in advance. You also need to be sure SME sees value in the training effort, otherwise, they may also see little value in your meetings.
Ethan Edwards of Allen Interactions recommends the following questions as a great start for your first SME interaction:
- What do you expect learners to to do after completing the course that they can’t do now?
- What are the consequences if the learner fails to master the intended outcomes?
- Can you show me an active demonstration, a detailed simulation, or provide an opportunity to directly observe the desired performance?
- What specific performance mistakes do new learners make?
- What tools, resources, or help do successful performers use to do these tasks?
Lastly, for a humorous, though accurate, representation of how to handle the many SME personalities in a post titled, "How Important is the SME?" by Archana Nayaran, click here.
Resources:
Edwards, E. (2011) Analyze This: 5 Questions You Need to Ask. Allen Interactions E-Learning Leadership Blog. Retrieved from: http://bit.ly/hD88Mf
Image Credit: http://www.cjlt.ca/index.php/cjlt/article/viewFile/495/226/1417
