Subject Matter Experts are from Mars and L&D Consultants are from Venus

As an L&D professional, have you ever had responsibility for consulting with operational Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) about training needs, perhaps as a result of a product launch, system, process change or any issue that can be fixed by training?

If so, did both parties understand what the other needed from the conversation? Did you have a clear idea of what you needed to achieve?

Here’s some simple advice on how to ensure you both achieve your goals

Start by considering the basics:          

         a) Where are we now?
         b) Where do we want to be?
         c) How do we get there?

Perhaps you have heard these questions being used, but in a different scenario.

https://www.inclusivedemocracy.org/dn/vol6/trainer_where.htm

The six areas that I discuss during the ‘how do we get there part of the discussion’ are;

1.        What are our roles?

This has helped me greatly by preventing awkward, difficult and challenging situations.  SMEs and L&D professionals need to be transparent as to what decisions we are able to make.  For instance, the number of activities included in the learning, how to structure each session and the aesthetics of the material. These aspects should be in the trainer’s control.

The SME is more likely to know what the most important elements of the content are, what the ideal pre-requisites would be and company standards, plus industry regulations.

1.        Frequency and methods for updates during the development phase

a) Contact numbers, dial in codes for conference calls and/or where to meet.
b) Dates and times when you will not be available due to other meetings etc.
c) URGENT - Who else, if anybody, can I contact if you aren’t available? (vice versa) 

1.        Timescales and dates

Timescales:

Set each other up for success by allowing sufficient time to design and turnaround amendments.

What is the benefit of this I hear you ask?  Well, would you like to be given your material back with numerous amendments to be made 3 hours before your first pilot session?  Probably not.

Dates

         a) Sign off dates for materials
         b) Running pilot sessions
         c) Delivery dates
         d) Post implementation reviews 

1.        What do we actually need to achieve?

We must ensure that we are both clear on the course and session objectives.  How will we know that the delegates have understood everything?  What will the delegates physically have to do, what level will we measure them against and how will the final exercise be carried out?

1.        Content of material

How do we make sure that the content is as streamlined as possible?  In my experience, people love to talk about something they either know a lot about or are incredibly passionate about.  L&D professionals and SMEs are no different, albeit we might live on different planets. At least one of us needs to take the reins to make sure the content is relevant to the objective.  Here are two models that have helped me achieve this, you may be familiar with either of them.  If not, you may find them interesting;

Difficulty, Importance and Frequency (DIF Analysis)

DIF Analysis is used to establish the complexity, priority and regularity of a task.  Here are examples of questions to ask and what it will help to determine.

Difficulty – How difficult did you find this task when it was new to you?  This will help you to decide upon the learning method.

Importance – How important is this task to your role?  This will help you to determine the priority of the task.

Frequency – How often do you perform this task?  This will help you to identify the scheduling of your training course.

Must, Should and Could Cover

         a) Must       -  What must your delegates know to carry out the job to the correct level?
         b) Should    -  What else should they know that might help them out from time to time?
         c) Could      -  These are points which would be interesting to cover, time permitting. 

I would be interested to hear what other models are out there that have worked for you.

1.        Where is the SME when you are doing what you do best?

Is the SME in the training room with you? If so, great!  Use them to aid the delegates’ learning experience.  It is a fine line between your delegates thinking “Who is that random person sat at the back of the room not saying anything?” or you wondering “How has this suddenly turned into the SME show”.  Regardless of the personality type, nobody likes to be put on the spot! So what can you do to prevent either of these situations?

Agree how the sessions will run, the opportunities for the SME to assist and what they could do when they need to say something important while you are in ‘mid-flow’.  You’ll be amazed to hear what “not so covert” hand gestures I’ve seen people do to get the other’s attention while a session is being delivered.

So what happens if they are unable to attend your training sessions?  It’s not the end of the world as you have both worked well together.  Yes, there may be parts you aren’t 100% clear on but as an L&D professional you have the confidence, knowledge and skill to park/defer any questions you don’t know the answer to until a later date or time.

It is wise to discuss this scenario early on so that the SMEs’ expectations can be managed, they may have a to take a little more time out of their day to answer questions from the first couple of training sessions.  More importantly, it is beneficial to let your delegates know when and how their questions will be answered after the session/course finishes.

To close, whether you are an SME from Mars or a Trainer Venus from my advice is this;

1.        Be crystal clear on your roles and responsibilities
2.        Get your regular updates booked
3.        Share the key dates/milestones
4.        Establish the learning objective
5.        Ensure the content is relevant to the objective
6.        How the training will work if you are both in the room

These aspects have worked for me, what has worked for you?  I would like to hear your thoughts.

Arron Caldwell is an L&D Consultant at The Training Foundation:

https://www.trainingfoundation.com/