SME Interview Kit: The Complete Subject Matter Expert Interview System for Instructional Designers and L&D Professionals
Working with subject matter experts is one of the most important skills in instructional design — and one of the least supported. Most designers go into SME interviews with a few questions jotted down, come out with scattered notes, and spend days trying to piece together content that was never clearly captured in the first place.
The SME Interview Kit is a professional-grade digital toolkit that gives you a complete, repeatable system for every SME interview from start to finish. Built specifically for instructional designers, educators, corporate trainers, and L&D professionals, this five-tab Excel workbook replaces guesswork with structure so you can capture expert knowledge accurately, efficiently, and confidently.
What You Get
Question Bank 44 research-informed interview questions organized across 8 categories: Opening and Rapport, Content Discovery, Audience and Learner Insights, Jargon and Terminology, Validation and Quality, Case Studies and Examples, Wrap-Up and Next Steps, and a bonus section for handling difficult or resistant SMEs. Every question includes a facilitator note explaining why it works and a Best For tag so you know exactly when to use it.
Conversation Script Word-for-word language for every phase of the SME interview. Includes a pre-call email template, an opening statement that sets expectations, 8 bridging phrases for common moments like tangents and vague answers, a full closing sequence with 5 wrap-up questions, and scripts for skeptical or hard-to-engage SMEs.
Content Capture Sheet A live capture log designed to stay open during the call. Includes a 25-row capture table with columns for topic, content, key insights, follow-up flags, and source type, plus a content gaps table and a dedicated verbatim quotes section so the best things your SME says never get paraphrased out of existence.
Follow-Up Tracker A full project management log for every SME relationship. Tracks action items, asset requests, review rounds, and session notes with a color-coded status system across Open, In Progress, Received, Complete, Blocked, and Deferred.
Who This Is For
This kit is built for instructional designers, eLearning developers, curriculum designers, university educators, professors, corporate trainers, and L&D professionals who regularly interview subject matter experts as part of their content development process. It works equally well for freelancers managing individual client projects and in-house teams running large-scale training programs.
Format and Compatibility
Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). Compatible with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Instant digital download. No installation required.
SME Interview Kit: The Complete Subject Matter Expert Interview System for Instructional Designers and L&D Professionals
Working with subject matter experts is one of the most important skills in instructional design — and one of the least supported. Most designers go into SME interviews with a few questions jotted down, come out with scattered notes, and spend days trying to piece together content that was never clearly captured in the first place.
The SME Interview Kit is a professional-grade digital toolkit that gives you a complete, repeatable system for every SME interview from start to finish. Built specifically for instructional designers, educators, corporate trainers, and L&D professionals, this five-tab Excel workbook replaces guesswork with structure so you can capture expert knowledge accurately, efficiently, and confidently.
What You Get
Question Bank 44 research-informed interview questions organized across 8 categories: Opening and Rapport, Content Discovery, Audience and Learner Insights, Jargon and Terminology, Validation and Quality, Case Studies and Examples, Wrap-Up and Next Steps, and a bonus section for handling difficult or resistant SMEs. Every question includes a facilitator note explaining why it works and a Best For tag so you know exactly when to use it.
Conversation Script Word-for-word language for every phase of the SME interview. Includes a pre-call email template, an opening statement that sets expectations, 8 bridging phrases for common moments like tangents and vague answers, a full closing sequence with 5 wrap-up questions, and scripts for skeptical or hard-to-engage SMEs.
Content Capture Sheet A live capture log designed to stay open during the call. Includes a 25-row capture table with columns for topic, content, key insights, follow-up flags, and source type, plus a content gaps table and a dedicated verbatim quotes section so the best things your SME says never get paraphrased out of existence.
Follow-Up Tracker A full project management log for every SME relationship. Tracks action items, asset requests, review rounds, and session notes with a color-coded status system across Open, In Progress, Received, Complete, Blocked, and Deferred.
Who This Is For
This kit is built for instructional designers, eLearning developers, curriculum designers, university educators, professors, corporate trainers, and L&D professionals who regularly interview subject matter experts as part of their content development process. It works equally well for freelancers managing individual client projects and in-house teams running large-scale training programs.
Format and Compatibility
Microsoft Excel (.xlsx). Compatible with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. Instant digital download. No installation required.
