Strategies for Interviewing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- Presentation
- Content Creation
- 06. November
- 14:00 - 14:45 PM (CET)
- C6.1
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Nicky Bleiel
- Innovative Systems, Inc.
Contents
Interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs) is an important skill technical communicators need to master to do our jobs effectively. We can learn a great deal on our own about new features through research and testing, but sometimes that isn’t enough to get the answers we need. In this talk, we will discuss strategies you can use during all three stages of an interview – preparing, conducting, and following up. We will discuss how to use the principles of both journalism and technical communication for an efficient and productive interview — whether the interview is in person, virtual, or asynchronous.
Please come to the session with your challenges with interviewing subject matter experts, and I will do my best to provide useful strategies. We can also share solutions with each other.
Takeaways
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The 3 stages of an interview
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Expanding your cohort of SMEs
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Preparing questions – including the “magic” question
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Virtual, asynchronous, and proactive interviewing
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Resources for both technical communicators & SMEs
Prior knowledge
Those who are currently working with SMEs or will be soon.