long: RE: Research interviewing tips

[Alexia Prendergast <alexiap -at- SEAGATESOFTWARE -dot- COM>]

Julie asked:
        > Does anyone have tips or techniques for getting information
out of
        > subject matter experts (SMEs) ?

In my experience, SMEs are most useful when they are answering specific
technical questions. Here are some things that work well for me (most
are common sense):

*Know your SME.
*Know your product.
*Be a good interviewer.

Here are more detailed comments (based on my experience--YMMV):
------------------
Know your SME.
------------------
SMEs might be developers, tech support folks, other doc folks, managers,
system administrators, consultants, field engineers, etc. Find out who
they are by:
-Ask the project manager (PM) who is responsible for a particular area
of the product (i.e., take the time to learn their specialties).
-Attend design meetings or get on the development e-mail lists and see
for yourself who is responsible for what. (Use your time wisely--for
example, if you are not good at skimming and deleting e-mail, don't get
on a list that is going to drown you in messages.)
-Ask other writers.

Get to know what type of information your SME is good at providing. Some
are very good at answering specific, pointed questions but don't give
good reviews. Others give good reviews, but aren't good at explaining
things. Take advantage of their strengths.

Get to know how your SME prefers to communicate. Some SMEs will put you
off in person, but they'll respond to an e-mail in minutes. Some don't
read their e-mail but answer questions quickly in person. Most of my
SMEs prefer e-mail or a quick visit.

I avoid formal meetings -- a more informal approach is generally faster,
more interesting, and more productive than a stilted "official" meeting.
However, if you aren't getting answers or if you are getting
contradictory answers, a meeting might make sense. Remember that
answering your questions or reviewing your documents is part of the
SME's job -- if they don't understand that, you might have to go through
their manager or yours. Play hardball if it comes to that.

---------------------
Know your product.
----------------------
Do your research before you talk to your SME. Read whatever specs or
materials are available. Use the product. Don't waste their time with
vague questions like "I haven't had a chance to look at the product yet,
so tell me all about it" or questions that you could have figured out
yourself. Be a SME yourself -- if they respect your technical ability as
well as your ability to communicate, you'll get farther.

Prepare for the meeting. Write a draft (or at least an outline) of the
section in question. Identify specific questions you have.

-------------------------
Be a good interviewer
-------------------------
Don't be afraid to ask questions. Be genuinely interested in the product
and in the SME's contribution. Respect the SME's expertise. If you don't
understand something, you can either ask for clarification or file it
away to research later.

Be a good listener. Again, be interested. If the SME tends to wander (I
have gotten into some interesting philosophical discussions) and you are
not in a hurry and want to establish a rapport, let them. If you don't
have the time/inclination, be firm and get back on track.

Take notes if you don't have a good memory. I scrawl notes, then type
them up later (fragments in a text file-- nothing fancy). If decisions
were made or there is room for interpretation, I e-mail a bullet list of
the major points covered so the SME has a chance to say "no, that's not
what I meant at all."

If you meet F2F, tell them you'll keep it short and mean it. Be
organized. Be on time. Meet in their office, your office, in the lab,
etc. I prefer to meet where we can work with the product and write on a
white board.

Through experience, you'll find what works for you. For example, I'm no
good at small talk, so I get right to the point.

I remember the STC Journal of Technical Communication had an article
about 5+ years ago about dealing with SMEs and other journals have had
articles on this subject, too. Can anyone remember the titles and
sources of these articles better than I can?

A.
--
Alexia Prendergast
Tech Pubs Manager
Seagate Software (Durham, NC, USA)
mailto:alexiap -at- seagatesoftware -dot- com


	http://www.documentation.com/, or http://www.dejanews.com/