The Importance of Buy-In in Instructional Design
3 tips for a smooth start in learning design.
““I’ve been teaching this course in class for years - I won’t need much help”
“I’ve put together online courses on my own before - we can skip those parts”
“I’ve prepared all the content already - you won’t need much more help from me””
We’ve all been there.
Starting a cool new course design, excited to jump into the process, and we are met with resistance, lack of interest, or - my personal favourite - that glazed over look in their eyes.
As instructional designers, we know how important each step of the process is when designing learning experiences, and no matter how much we may wish we could change this sometimes - the quality of the final product is highly dependent on our relationship with the Subject Matter Expert (SME).
This partnership starts from the very first introduction.
When interviewing dozens of instructional designers over the past two years about their workflow and common pain points in the industry, the number one recurring challenge was the lack of SME buy-in, resulting in problems such as failure to meet tight timelines, lack of useable source content, resistance to change, and poor relationship management.
We simply cannot realize the full potential of learning design without the full participation of the person holding all of the content knowledge.
Image Description: Two women sitting next to each other looking at a laptop while discussing something. One has medium skin and is holding the laptop on her right knee. The other woman has medium-light skin. They are sitting on different chairs that are perpendicular to each other.
Knowing this, you have an incredible opportunity to foster an amazing working relationship with your SME from the very beginning. We’ve put together a list of three simple things that you can do to get buy-in from the start and make the process of instructional design an enjoyable and exciting one for everyone.
Listen
Are you having conversations with your SME, or are you spending those first meetings talking AT them?
It was the Greek philosopher Epictetus who said:
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak”.
Image Description: Two older adults, a woman with medium skin and a man with medium-dark skin, are sitting side-by-side at a large table. In front of them is a laptop. The man is looking toward the laptop explaining something while also gesturing with his hands. The woman is looking in his direction. They are in an office setting; there are papers on the table.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of our SME for a moment.
You are a professor at an esteemed university, loved by all - your peers, your department, and your students. You’ve been teaching the same class for over ten years with incredible feedback and are so proud of the content that you’ve carefully crafted and improved upon each semester. Life is good.
Then - out of nowhere - you have been chosen to work with an Instructional Designer to bring this course online - something you have never done before.
You log onto Zoom and after you’ve introduced yourself, an instructional designer jumps into an hour-long presentation TELLING you, step by step, how they will be taking all of your valuable course content and changing things around. But, they say with what they seem to think is a reassuring smile, “trust me, I’ve been doing this a long time, and if you follow along, it will all work out”.
Any guesses as to how the rest of this project may go?
We are often placed in someone else’s personal space when it comes to learning design. We are asking them to hand over information that is important to them, and to trust that we will handle that information with care.
The first step in establishing this trust is to listen. Make the first meeting - the beginning of your analysis - all about what they feel they need to share. A simple “let’s start with what you’d like me to know about this course” works great.
When you take time to listen, two things will start to happen:
Once they have had a chance to express themselves freely, the SME will feel as though they have gotten to share what they need to share, which will better prepare them to listen when you go over the process.
When it is your turn to talk, you will be able to connect things that they have shared to the steps of the process, and assure them from the start that this will be a team effort and they will recognize their work in the final product.
Clarify Expectations
Designing learning experiences is a team effort. Or, like I explain to clients, a game of dominos - where each of us relies on the other to do their part at the right time in order to ensure proper flow.
SMEs come to the table with a variety of expectations of their involvement. Some may expect minimal (here is the information, have fun), and others expect to lead the ship (I’ll let you know if I need help).
Image Description: A woman with medium skin holding a smart tablet in her left hand as she gestures something with her right hand while looking in the direction of a man with medium-dark skin. The man is looking in her direction as he listens. They are in an office setting.
Establishing clear expectations from the start is key tofor a successful project.
This includes having conversations from the start about details such as:
The steps you will be taking
Roles and responsibilities
Definitions of success
Timelines
Hours of work
Content review expectations (alpha, beta, final)
Be specific and clear about what you need from the SME. Statements such as “you can expect it to take you 4-6 hours per week to review the alpha version of each of the 5 module scripts during the months of October and November” are much clearer than “it will probably take a few hours a week to review scripts when they arrive to you”.
Our time is valuable, and more often than not, the learning design project is one of many tasks on your SME’s list of responsibilities. Having clear expectations from the start will avoid frustration and confusion throughout the project.
You can’t expect full buy-in from an SME if they are constantly wondering what they have to do from week to week.
Empower
Remember that your job is to bring THEIR vision to life. This requires as much participation from the SME as they can give.
We often hear the phrase “remember your ‘why’”, because when we can connect the work to our passion, those on the other side of our words can feel it.
Image Description: A man and a woman, both with medium-light skin, are smiling and fist bumping. They are sitting side-by-side at a table that has a laptop and a clipboard with papers. They are in an office or similar setting.
When attempting to design learning experiences with an SME, they need to feel part of the process, and empowered to be involved in the decision making process. This can happen in so many ways, such as:
Connecting their initial vision to each concept. This places the SME at the center of the process, and they will see their ideas come to life in real time. When you listen (step one), you will have the information you need to make these connections.
Involving the SME at every step of the process. Instead of asking them to send you information and ideas, schedule regular meetings to conduct the analysis and design sessions together. When they are involved in the design aspects of the project, they will be empowered to share their point of view consistently. When the script is ready to write, they will immediately make the connection and understand the directions to take.
Respecting their expertise. You may be an expert in learning design, but the SME has the information you will need to create a successful course. They know their learners and content best. Take time to work together to ensure that what is being created is resonating with the SME. Ask questions, check in frequently, and acknowledge the important part they play.
As instructional designers and elearning developers, we have the responsibility of transforming information into experiences for such diverse audiences. Not many people get to experience so many different worlds of knowledge.
No matter your experience or talent, a successful project will always depend on every member of the team - especially your SME. Early buy-in of the process will help you move through each stage together, instead of trying to convince someone that this is the right path.
The next time you have the opportunity to create alongside an SME, remember to listen, clarify, and empower.
Enjoy!
