Your Three-Step Playbook for Working With Subject Matter Experts

Why working with SMEs feels so hard—and how to fix it

Ever had to collaborate with a subject matter expert on training? If the thought fills you with anxiety, then you know the experience well. Either the SMEs are too busy to meet, or their feedback is filled with jargon that has little to do with the training goals. It has you wondering whether it’s worth all the effort.

While working with SMEs can be frustrating, making that relationship work can yield massive benefits. When done correctly, SME insights augment your ability to create relevant, high-impact learning experiences.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to manage subject matter experts with clarity and confidence, get on the same page and stay there, and establish clear guidelines and expectations that respect everyone’s time.

Step 1: Set the foundation before the work begins

Susan has been tasked with creating safety training for the organization’s manufacturing team. She’s tapped two SMEs for feedback on her first draft, one from compliance and one from operations. But when she gets the edits back, one has rewritten it to sound like a legal document, while the other has added technical information that’s irrelevant for the training goal. It’s clear neither reviewed the learning objectives. Now the project timeline is behind schedule, and she’s left to pick up the pieces.

What could Susan do to get the project on track? Here are two strategies to keep in mind.

Establish clear guidelines and expectations early

Before engaging SMEs, it’s important to establish expectations. This includes:

• Define their role on the project team. Will they help with content creation, review for accuracy, or sign off on legal or compliance requirements?
• Determine how and when you’ll collect input. How will you track changes? Does the LMS offer version control? Will you collaborate via email, chat, or within a shared tool like Review?

Susan could avoid a lot of headaches by setting up a quick launch meeting that covered all the basics. A launch meeting helps SMEs better understand their role. Consider sharing a feedback template or checklist to save time. Set clear directions and expectations to improve your shared outcomes.

Designate a single point of contact

Avoid assumptions. In our fictional example, Susan assumed that her two SMEs would coordinate their feedback. Instead, each worked independently, and their comments conflicted. Establish a single point of contact for all SME communications to avoid confusion. If multiple stakeholders must comment, set a clear final approver to represent the group.

This person coordinates feedback, resolves issues, and serves as the go-to source for questions. Just like you, SMEs have busy schedules. Respect their time by keeping the workflows clear and organized.

Collaboration with SMEs will go much more smoothly with an established hierarchy and process for reviewers.

Step 2: Build trust and reduce tension through communication

Even when you set clear expectations, things can go sideways if communication breaks down. SMEs aren’t instructional designers, so they may not be familiar with your work or expertise. That’s why clear, respectful communication is key.

Here’s how to accomplish that:

Listen first, then act

Going back to our scenario, Susan hops on a call with the compliance SME. She notices immediately that he sounds frustrated, even defensive.

SME: “I’m trying to protect our workers from injury. That’s why I added all of the safety steps.”

Instead of immediately pushing back, Susan leans on active listening skills.

Susan: “We’re on the same page about protecting our workers. What if we keep this training hyper-focused on absorbing the critical steps, then link to the full guide?”

By taking the time to listen, Susan avoids dismissing their expertise and instead guides them toward what’s best for the project’s success.

Have a frank conversation when necessary

Let’s imagine that the operations SME insists that training should walk through the entire safety protocol. However, the learning objectives she outlined focus only on immediate hazard recognition for frontline workers, rather than on full training in the process.

This is an opportunity for Susan to refocus the SME on the learning goals. Here’s how she might do it.

Susan: “Let’s go back to the goal we agreed on earlier and evaluate this feedback against it. We originally scoped this project to support hazard recognition for factory frontline operators. The engineer’s safety handbook is likely to distract them from learning about these hazards. Let’s maintain our focus on only what supports our goal.”

By framing the conversation around the target audience’s specific needs, Susan helps keep the process focused on the desired outcomes identified at the start. Overall, when SMEs feel heard and respected, they’re more likely to stay engaged, cordial, and on point.

Step 3: Make it easy for SMEs to contribute

SMEs aren’t just sitting around and procrastinating on the work you need them to do. They’re just as busy as the rest of us, and your project is just another thing added to their plate. If you want to get the best possible input, demonstrate your respect for their time by making contributions easy.

Work with their schedule, not against it

With Susan’s project, one of the SMEs was swamped and waited until the last minute to provide comments, which, unsurprisingly, felt rushed and vague. The other missed two deadlines without any explanation. But instead of getting frustrated, Susan has an opportunity to adapt her process.

Solution:

Be proactive about the project timeline. Give them a clear deadline and allow some buffer time to be safe. Help them block appropriate time with a review time estimate.

For example, rather than saying, “I need this back by Friday.” Instead, be specific: “If you could just provide feedback on the first two sections by Friday, that would be great. It should take a half-hour or less.”

This small shift shows that you respect their time and don’t set unreasonable expectations.

Break it down and be specific

Don’t keep your SMEs guessing. For instance, it won’t do any good for Susan to send them a 30-slide presentation and say, “Let me know what you think.” Instead, she could try targeted prompts, such as:

• “Please check slides 10-14for accuracy and make sure the terms used are correct.”
• “Do the examples used here accurately reflect what happens on the job?”
• “Are we overlooking anything that’s essential for safety?”

Susan’s SMEs will be much more responsive if she sends them bite-sized, highly specific chunks with clear directions. This ensures the feedback will come faster and be more focused.

Structure their contributions

Instead of telling SMEs to leave comments in the margins or send back a document with their thoughts, it’s much better to provide them with a review template or checklist that guides their feedback and helps them stay focused on their task.

Example SME review checklist:

• Is the technical information accurate?
• Is it missing critical steps?
• Is it understandable for the target audience?
• Does anything require clarification?
• Are there outdated terms, references, or processes?

The checklist itself may also include fields where they can add notes or thoughts on each area. This helps keep SMEs focused on their own knowledge base, while you maintain control of the content and scope.

Stop chasing down SMEs and start collaborating like a pro

Working with SMEs doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Think of them as a fountain of knowledge just waiting to be tapped. Like most things, it’s about relationship building. When you approach it with clarity, empathy, and structured guidance, it changes the tenor of the situation. You’ll stop chasing down edits and start building trust, and you’ll end the guessing game and get feedback that actually helps.

Remember that you’re both after the same goal. But SMEs need direction, boundaries, and respect to give you their best. Learn how to help them help you. When you do, you’ll turn that albatross into a true partnership.

Looking for more resources for working with SMEs? Check out our recent post, The SME Kickoff Checklist: Questions to Ask in the First Meeting, to start your next project off right.