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Subject matter experts or SMEs are usually an indispensable part of a learning development team. Even though they are on the same team, however, the SME and the learning professional may be living in different worlds. How can we build good relationships with subject matter experts and what can we do when issues and obstacles emerge? In this episode, I speak with two very experienced learning professionals who answer these questions, Dawn Mahoney and Diane Elkins. They offer insightful strategies and techniques for successfully managing issues with SMEs.
Dawn, CPTD, is the founder of Learning In the White Space, a boutique consultancy devoted to all things learning. She also writes on learning topics and is the author of the “Last Word” column for Training Magazine.
Diane Elkins is co-owner of Artisan E-Learning, where she helps companies, non-profits and government agencies get up and running with e-learning initiatives. She has been in the training and development field for 20 years. Diane is the co-author of the popular E-Learning Uncovered book series and is a regular contributor to the ATD Learning Technologies Blog.
WE DISCUSS:
- Role of the SME in instructional design
- Recommendations for the qualities of a good SME to work with
- How to ensure you have a good working relationship from the start
- How to get busy experts to commit the necessary time to your project
- Difference between presentation reviews and storyboard reviews
- How to mind meld with a SME (extract tacit knowledge from them)
- How to prevent learning experiences from becoming brain dumps
TIME: 42 minutes
TRANSCRIPT: Download the ELC 065 Transcript
RATE: Rate this podcast in Apple Podcasts
RESOURCES:
- Learning in the Whitespace (Dawn’s consultancy)
- Artisan E-Learning: (Diane’s company)
- E-Learning Uncovered (Book series co-authored by Diane Elkins)

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