Notes from an Editor: How to Interview Out of Town SMEs!

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh May 15, 2009

Now that you know how to conduct an interview with a subject matter expert, what do you do if that expert isn’t physically there to participate in the interview? Lisa Nichols, editor of the “Business & Finance” section here at Suite101 shares some tips on interviewing SMEs from out of town.

“Let’s say you’ve got a great opportunity to interview a subject matter expert, but she’s in London and you’re in Arkansas. Can you organize and effectively interview an out-of-town SME? Most definitely – Suite writers are conducting interviews all the time with SMEs located in other towns, states or countries.

Consider the following to get the interview you want from an out-of-town SME:

If you have a computer and a microphone (available beginning at about $8 at office supplies stores), and your SME has the same, you can conduct the interview using Skype.

If the first option isn’t an option, you can use AIM or one of the other chat programs to conduct an online interview. Be sure to change your settings to save your IM logs.

If computer-to-computer calls and IMing isn’t an option, consider email. This method of interviewing can be truly advantageous, as it has been many times for our own Suite writers.

Let the SME know upfront that it may take a couple of back-and-forth communication to the get the information you need. List your top questions, number them, and ask that the SME respond in kind, with a numbered list of answers.”

Stay tuned for more great tips from Lisa Nichols and some examples of the best SME interviews conducted by our Suite101 writers.