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Peggy Salvatore

Peggy Salvatore writes on business and health care issues, and she is a proud mother of three.

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Loving Those Conscious Competents!

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of presenting a pilot workshop I am developing on how to find the subject matter experts in your organization.  I learned a lot from a really great group of trainers and managers and the conversation kept circling back to “how do we work with them?”

I gave everyone a copy of my book which is really a starting point to answer that question. As I talk to people online and in person about it, there is a wealth of issues that arise. That is exactly why we have this blog, so we can continue the conversation on a  regular basis and learn from each other.

One of the attendees yesterday is a consultant who said he has conducted hundreds of subject matter expert interviews. His usual approach is to start collecting information by asking to speak with someone who has been working in the relevant field for five years. When his client says, “No, we want you to talk to so-and-so who has been here for 30 years” he tells them that so-and-so will be his second interview.

Why? Quite simply, this seasoned consultant long ago intuited that it was the person who is still learning a subject who knows how to explain it. He saves his interview with the veteran SME after he has mastered a basic comprehension of the subject.

This consultant has learned that – in the language of Working with SMEs – that it is the Conscious Competent who is the best interview subject for a trainer or instructional designer who needs to learn a subject from the ground up.

It is always great when I get confirmation that the basic concept of the book is sound.

Also, I am learning every day that people really need help working with SMEs and so several workshops and another book are in development to assist companies in this sometimes frustrating task.

As always, I look forward to your comments below.

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When a Reluctant SME is Protecting Their Job

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One of the issues that I continually hear in my discussions about subject matter experts is the problem of the reluctant SME. Simply, a reluctant SME that doesn’t want to share his or her knowledge with the organization.

In particular, this came to light in a discussion with a training department that was having difficulty getting employees to share their knowledge because they felt it threatened their union and their status within the organizational hierarchy. As it turns out, this is a very common but touchy issue.

Union contracts usually designate the order in which people are promoted or let go, for example. So an employee may jealously guard their unique skill set or knowledge in an attempt to protect their position. They may also not want to share with the employer for fear it would jeopardize union power.

I discussed this with an executive that has dealt with unions throughout his career, and he admitted that it is a thorny issue but one that can be handled when it is dealt with sensitively and on a case-by-case basis.

For trainers who are having trouble getting what they need from a unionized subject matter expert, think about having both the corporation and the union leadership deal come up with a plan. Everyone needs to realize that the good of the company protects jobs. For compliance issues, those training topics are a matter of law and not negotiable.

If you’ve dealt with a reluctant SME attempting to protect their job, how have you handled it?

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Why Subject Matter Expertise is So Important Today

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When I started thinking about the effect of subject matter experts on the training process about two years ago, I wrote a book because I couldn’t find one. The book was based on my own experiences capturing expertise for training programs – and other materials such as white papers, articles and books – for two decades. As soon as I shared my thoughts, people from the training world, the marketing world and experts themselves started to step forward to share their thoughts and questions.

These blogs have mostly been responses to the questions and discussions that are happening as a result of that initial public inquiry. In fact, it appears that the subject of subject matter experts is coming into its own for, I think, several reasons:

  1. A lot of expertise is leaving the workplace as the last waves of the post-World War II industrial boomers retire, so there is an urgent incentive to capture what they know.
  2. The technology exists for subject matter expertise to be captured by the SMEs themselves, putting a new slant on what to capture and how to capture it for knowledge transfer within organizations.
  3. We have a lot more expertise running around the world. The exponential growth of knowledge means you can never know all there is to know about a single subject, and so expertise is becoming more laser focused on very fine niches.

Knowledge on Subject Matter Expertise was Sparse

I recently ran into a colleague who wrote his PhD thesis partially on how to develop expertise among novices on a very critical issue in pharmaceutical product handling. In writing the paper, he researched the nature of expertise and how it is acquired, and he shared some of that with me. What I found most striking is the relative dearth of research into this subject until now.

Some research taught us a few things about expertise. Two of the most striking and important findings for knowledge transfer that are relevant for industry came out of studies in the 1980s and 90s. One study concluded that it takes about 10 years of exposure to a job to become an expert. Another is that an expert is considers about 50,000 “chunks” of information simultaneously when they are thinking about a problem.

Why Subject Matter Expertise is So Important Today

Those findings are important because:

The value of apprenticeships and mentorships in preserving critical organizational knowledge is imperative to transfer important tasks, skills and knowledge in an unbroken line from people who know more than they can ever express, and

Training on your critical processes and procedures can’t start soon enough or be intense enough to be able to get novices up the learning curve as quickly as you’ll need them.

Knowledge capture, apprenticeships, internships and mentorships on your core critical processes and procedures are the lifeblood of your organization. Even, and especially if, you expect that technology and cultural change will cause radical shifts in your business, you need to be capturing critical organizational knowledge before it walks out the door.

Training is like the saying about the best time to plant a tree. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is today.

 

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Now Available: Finding Your SMEs Workshops

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The Value, Scarcity and Difficulty of Working with Subject Matter Experts

Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting Working with SMEs to a group of subject matter experts at the inaugural AGXPE conference attended by compliance and regulatory folks from the biopharmaceutical industry. Nothing is more fun or educational than playing with colleagues and sharing info.

Kudos to John Lewis of Merck, Ken Petelinkar of BMS and Tammy Cullen of Lilly for pulling off a great event. Next year’s show is already being planned. Check them out and join the group at http://agxpe.wildapricot.org/ At present, membership is free.

I attended the conference as a vendor but abandoned my post for most of the conference so I could hear what other people have to say about some of my favorite topics – quality, leadership and training needs analysis.

Despite all that, I learned a lot in my own session because I gave out evaluations in which I confirmed some things and gathered some valuable intelligence. I confirmed that SMEs have inestimable value to their organizations (obvious), SMEs can be scarce when you need them and they can be notoriously difficult to work with for any number of reasons, most often because they are in high demand and stretched thin.

Now, about the results of my intelligence gathering. I violated several rules of presenting by trying to stuff 10 pounds of feed in a five pound sack and did a bait-and-switch because the last third of my session was market research.

However, here’s what that little foray into no-no land netted:

  1. Some companies are talking to some SMEs and getting the info they need for organizational continuity. Some aren’t.
  2. Whether they are or they are not talking to the right SMEs and assembling their knowledge management plan, every respondent believed their company would benefit from a formal process to identify their internal SMEs.

That bit of confirmation means I am formally launching a Finding Your SMEs Workshop. The workshop is already developed and I am scheduling one local test case in suburban Philadelphia in the next few months. However, I would prefer to have at least 3 or 4 test cases. The pilots will help refine the Finding Your SMEs process and be presented as case studies in a book in development. The workshop and process can be adapted for any size enterprise and business size is one of the variables in the design.

Looking for More Test Pilots

For the foreseeable future, which means until I gather enough info to feel confident I’ve isolated most of the outlier issues, I am offering pilot half-day workshops for up to 20 people for a very low cost – basically enough to cover my expenses and keep the lights on while I do my research. I can reasonably do two workshops a month to spend enough time with each company. It would be great to have at least 3 or 4 company case studies before I publish the next book.

If you are interested in being one of the test sites, please write to me at workingwithsmes@gmail.com or respond to this email if you are reading this as part of my mailing list. If you aren’t on the mailing list, please sign up on the blog homepage.

Thank you for reading. Comments below are welcome!

 

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Advice to Subject Matter Experts: Summing It Up

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A Checklist of Best Practices for Working with Content Developers and Instructional Designers

Here it is, week five of this topic. Time to sum it up in three best practices.

When subject matter experts are working with content developers and designers for training, marketing, sales, promotion and public relations, what you know is the most important part of the process. It is the job of the content developer or instructional designer to assemble questions, propose an interview and review schedule, and ask you to fill in information gaps.

However, you can have some control of the process itself from your end to help the content developer/writer/instructional designer/trainer to capture your knowledge.

Control can be a wonderful thing. Here are a few tips to make sure you have some leverage on the process.

  1. Flow of Information – Feel free to correct and amend? If the steps or flow of the information that the writer has outlined for you do not make sense to you, put them in a logical sequence for them. Nobody understands the context of the material better than you, and that includes the developer.
  2. Schedule – Be in control of the schedule from your end. If you are working with someone who has difficult meeting their end of the deal, say so and escalate it if you have to.
  3. Content – Ultimately, it is your content. If it is right or wrong, you are the final authority. Check, correct and approve.

You are in the role of a subject matter expert because you are 100% focused on your skill, ability, craft and knowledge. That is the great thing that makes you valuable. Without you, we’d be writing about…

?

 

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5 Simple Steps to Finally(!) Writing Your Book

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Quill%20Pen%20Photo

Hey, Subject Matter Expert! So, You Want to Write a Book.

Good. If you are like 81%* of the population, you want to write a book. You’ve got a lot to say. Maybe you want to write about your life experiences. If you’ve become an expert in your field, perhaps it is your work that moves you to want to tell the world some ways they can do things better because you’ve already figured that out. Whatever your motivation, you have a message to get out to the world and you don’t want to let your experience and knowledge stop with you.

Cheers to you and your willingness to share. Consider this your encouragement. It is hard work. It is not as glamorous as you think so forgo buying yourself a quill. Dig in for the long haul and go for it.

Most people who want to write a book never do. Writing a book is intimidating, like thinking about taking that hike along the entire Appalachian Trial; it’s something that you’ve always wanted to do but it’s overwhelming to think about and plan for. But that journey of a thousand miles really does start with just one step.

Take heart and do some planning. For now, here are five steps to guide you on the path to putting your knowledge, wisdom and experience in writing for posterity. First, breathe and relax. Have confidence. A little organization, dedication and time will get you far. You can do this.

5 Steps to Writing Your Book

  1. Organize your thoughts. Put your ideas in order. Make a numbered list. Make a diagram. Use big paper because as you do this exercise, you will remember detail and you’ll need more room. This is your outline. Don’t get too attached to it. After you’ve started writing, or maybe even after you’ve finished your first draft, you may see a better organization. For now, start with the organization that is most logical to you.
  2. Schedule writing time. Make it sacred. You need blocks of at least two, preferably four hours, at least once a week. Ideally, you can give it a few hours every morning if you have that kind of space in your life. Take the long view and give yourself a year to complete your manuscript. If you find that the ideas start to flow, you may finish in a few months. Dr. Wayne Dyer finished his first book idea for Your Erroneous Zones in only 14 days! After he knew exactly what he wanted to say, it was just a matter of how fast he could type.
  3. Start at the beginning. I like to write an introduction or prologue first simply because it organizes the point and clearly defines the purpose for me at the outset. Often, the introduction changes completely after the book is finished, but again, you have to start somewhere and the logical place is at the beginning where you can set your tone and objectives. After that, write anywhere in your outline that moves you.
  4. Don’t get too hung up on being a writer. This one trips people up most often. The very best that you have to offer is in your own voice. Don’t worry about sounding like William Faulkner. His voice is already taken. In fact, if writing isn’t your go-to communication style, speak your book into an audio file using the outline of your book as interview questions. (Example: If you are writing your life story and you have a chapter called “How I Met My Wife”, ask yourself the question, “How did you meet your wife?”) Use voice recognition software to convert the audio file into your first rough draft. You may be surprised how wonderful your book sounds when you don’t think about being a writer. Some of the best speakers and most intelligent people I know are not natural writers. But they can move rooms full of people to laughter and tears. Get that on tape, then clean up the transcript.
  5. Hire an editor. As a professional writer, I am the first to admit that I am not a good editor and certainly not my own editor. A writer who is their own editor is like the physician who diagnoses himself: he has a fool for a patient. Trust me, you’ve got blind spots. When you’ve looked at your own manuscript long enough, you don’t see the typos. It is not a moral failing to have someone with an outsider’s perspective improve your work.

Most importantly, relax and enjoy the process. If you have really wanted to write a book, it is because you have something inside you screaming to get out. So sit down, fire up the laptop, and bang away on the keyboard. Have fun with it. You’ll be so darned proud when you have the book in your hand.

*An oft-cited statistic credited to New York Times writer Joseph Epstein.

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Advice to Subject Matter Experts Part IV

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A Checklist of Best Practices for Working with Content Developers

When subject matter experts are working with content developers and designers for training, marketing, sales, promotion and public relations, what you know is the most important part of the process. It is the job of the content developer or instructional designer to assemble questions, propose an interview and review schedule, and ask you to fill in information gaps.

However, you can have some control of the process itself from your end to help the content developer/writer/instructional designer/trainer to capture your knowledge.

Control can be a wonderful thing. Here are a few tips to make sure you have some leverage on the process.

  1. Organization – Feel free to correct and amend! If the steps or flow of the information that the writer has outlined for you do not make sense to you, put them in a logical sequence for them. Nobody understands the context of the material better than you and that includes the content developer.
  2. Timeliness – Be in control of the schedule. Be available for interviews and do reviews on the time you’ve both agreed. If they constantly reschedule or are late, escalate to your manager or theirs because it is impacting not only you, but the whole project timeline.
  3. Scheduling Conflicts – Anticipate and avoid scheduling conflicts. You are in demand so you will find that sometimes your regular work may directly conflict with meeting your SME obligation. If you are in a job where this can occur, plan for this contingency. For example, ask the writer if you can work ahead on your deadline for your review, comments and sign-offs. In addition to the content developer, the schedule may also involve a graphic designer, computer programmer, project manager and an editor, and their work is scheduled around your deadline, too. Time is money all the way around. People’s deadlines and budgets are affected by your ability to fit this obligation into your schedule.
  4. Accuracy – Provide the information requested and double-check to make sure it is correct when you get drafts of the program (and yes, you may receive more than one!). This seems simple enough and may even seem insulting to mention, but it wouldn’t be here if information isn’t regularly misinterpreted by content developers and failure to check information by subject matter experts didn’t happen.
  5. Sign-Offs – Sign off at pre-agreed checkpoints, and make sure you have checked the accuracy of the information when you do. If you are working with a writer from outside your company, there is probably a contract in place between the contractor and your company that makes your company responsible for content after you affix your signature to it. If you sign off on incorrect information, it will cost your company when the project goes into overruns for corrections or scope creep. Internally, your sign-off means the information is going to be finalized, packaged and used in training, sales or public materials. Your sign-off not only is the hallmark of your credibility, but it affects the performance of other people in your organization and the impression of the organization to external audiences, as well.
  6. Blind Spots – We all have them. Frequently, we develop blind spots as a result of our success. Because you are the SME, let’s assume you’ve met with a lot of success in your life, and that makes you vulnerable to blind spots. Think through the eyes of a novice when you are explaining details to your content developer. What seems obvious to you may be completely unfamiliar to someone who doesn’t walk in your shoes.

#LectureOff

As I write this, I think it sounds preach-y and I apologize if it does. On the other hand, sometimes when you are in the role of a subject matter expert, it is because you are 100% focused on your skill, ability, craft and knowledge. That is the great thing that makes you valuable.

In this blog in a few hundred words, I ask you to walk in your content developer’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. Without you, we’d be writing about ????

As a subject matter expert, what kinds of tips and best practices work for you when you are talking to writers, trainers and other content developers?

 

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Advice to Subject Matter Experts, Part III

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3 Things To Expect From Your Content Developer

Your content developer’s job is to conceptualize and plan a well-orchestrated document, whether that takes the shape of a training program, an article, a video or some other type of communication. It is your job as the subject matter expert to fill in the blanks.

If you find that you are having trouble whittling down what you know to fill in the blanks, or you can’t fill in the blanks as requested, the training or content developer needs to come up with a better plan. A well-designed document will make it fairly obvious to you exactly what the learner or reader/viewer will be consuming. A good plan will also make it obvious what is being requested of you.

When your understanding of the pathway set out by the content designer is different than the execution of the process, communicate your concerns immediately. No use wasting time chasing rabbits down the proverbial rabbit hole.

You will need a few things from a content developer or, in the case of a training program the instructional designer, to know if you have a good working plan.

The ID should be able to tell you three things:

  • Objectives and goals of the document you are working on
  • Information needed from you to achieve the objectives
  • Process and timetable for the project

The Plan

You didn’t get where you are without learning to expect the unexpected and adjust to it. For those of you who like to be prepared, here is a common sense guide as you plan your work with the content designer.

Plan A: Plan your work and work your plan.

Plan B: The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry; midcourse correction.

Plan C: When all else fails, experience has shown that true subject matter experts will get the job done no matter the circumstances.

So while Plan A is preferred and Plan B has been known to occur, many strong training programs and other content have emerged from the fact that you are, indeed, the expert and you got there by dint of hard work and tenacity.

It’s good to have a plan. It’s even better to have a true SME.

 

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Advice to Subject Matter Experts, Part II

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Tips for Working with Your Content Developer

Note: While this blog specifically addresses working with instructional designers, this applies to subject matter experts who work with writers and content developers for any purpose – marketing, sales, you-name-it.

Last week, we discussed a few ways you can prepare your instructional designer or writer for creating materials in your area of expertise before you start the writing process. This week, let’s discuss a few good practices to keep the process on track.

While it is an instructional designer’s job – or his manager’s job – to assemble questions, propose an interview and review schedule that process may not always happen flawlessly. Even if it does, it helps for you to be aware that you can make contributions to the successful completion of a training program by keeping a few simple rules in mind.

Tips for Working with Your Training Designer

  1. Organization of the Material – If there are steps or a process to your information, put them in a logical sequence. Nobody understands the context of the material better than you and that includes the ID.
  2. Timeliness – Be available for interviews and do reviews on time.
  3. Scheduling Conflicts – Anticipate and avoid scheduling conflicts. This seems obvious, but you will find that sometimes your regular work may directly conflict with meeting your SME obligation. If you are in a job where this can occur, plan for this contingency. For example, ask the ID if you can work ahead on your deadline for your review, comments and sign-offs. The ID, and probably also a graphic designer, computer programmer, project manager and an editor – at the very least – have their work scheduled around your deadline, too. Time is money all the way around.
  4. Accuracy – Provide the information requested and double-check to make sure it is correct when you get drafts of the program (and yes, you may receive more than one!). This seems simple enough and may even seem insulting to mention, but it wouldn’t be here if failure to check information didn’t happen.
  5. Sign-Offs – Sign off at pre-agreed checkpoints, and make sure you have checked the accuracy of the information when you do. If you are working with a contract ID from outside your company, there is probably a contract in place between the training organization and your company that makes your company responsible for content after you affix your signature to it. It will cost your company if a project goes into overruns for corrections at which time you will meet the infamous Scope Creep.
  6. Blind Spots – We all have them. Frequently, we develop blind spots as a result of our success; failures are more likely to call us up short and require us to be careful and thorough. Because you are the SME, let’s assume you’ve met with a lot of success in your life, and that makes you vulnerable to blind spots. Think through the eyes of a novice when you are explaining details to your ID. It is obvious to you to click “enter” after an entry, but it may not be so obvious to the new kid.

 

What are some other best practices you have found for working with content developers?

 

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Advice To Subject Matter Experts: Part I

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You Are The Smartest Person in the Room…and probably, in your company in your area of specialization. With that, comes responsibility.

This week, I had the opportunity to put together a speaking proposal to a group of subject matter experts about how best to work with them. Which leads me to this week’s blog, how a SME can make easier the process of working with writers and corporate trainers to transfer their knowledge for organizational continuity.

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” – Unknown

I’ve long held the belief that this saying is true. Fortunately, for me, this has never been a problem! But for PhD neurobiologists, it can occasionally present a challenge. It is to you, that really smart person who studies quarks or polymerase chain reactions, that I address the following.

As a subject matter expert, your contribution to the sales, marketing and training efforts of your company are irreplaceable. You are the smartest person in the room and they need you.

That means there comes a time in the life of every astrophysicist that they must communicate with other humans, humans who just aren’t on your rung of the intellectual food chain. Sometimes those humans are writers who need to communicate your message for marketing or sales purposes. Sometimes those people are in the training department of your corporation who are structuring your expertise to transfer it to other employees. Whomever they are, rest assured they are working to transfer your knowledge intact.

You can help them in their endeavor.

Writers and training designers are educated to know how to collect, organize and relate information in a logical and comprehensible way, but they are not PhD neurobiologists. Who is your writer or trainer? He is a master learner and organizer. He is a student of human behavior and good communicator. If you are lucky, he majored in microbiology as an undergrad in college. But when it comes to your area of expertise, he is not the smartest person in the room.

For someone who is intellectually curious and loves to learn, working with you is very interesting. Your writer or training designer is going to learn a lot from you so he can teach it to others. But he doesn’t know your subject yet, and he may or may not have a good base of knowledge in your area of expertise to ask good foundational questions.

So, if your writer or training designer needs some background, provide him with resources so he can study on his own time. It is not a wise use of either of your time for you to teach him the basics of chemistry, for example. It is in his job description to learn some simple terminology and concepts on his own before diving in. Don’t be afraid to give him homework; in fact, it is a good idea to do so.

Here are a few basic rules for getting started with your writer or training designer. Before meeting:

  1. Give him any articles, books, slide presentations or speeches you’ve made on the topic before you meet. If you don’t have your own materials, point him to basic materials on the topic.
  2. Ask for a list of questions before your first meeting. Try to answer some of them in writing. If any questions are irrelevant, say so and suggest a better question.
  3. Set aside an hour or two of uninterrupted time in your schedule for your meeting.

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As a subject matter expert in your corporation, your time is very valuable. If you do these simple things, you will set a baseline of understanding and have a productive use of your limited time with the writers and training designers who are working with you.

Are you a subject matter expert? What are some of the challenges you’ve faced when working with writing and training colleagues?