Working with a Dominant SME: Redirecting Without Shutting Down
Every exam development meeting has one: the Subject Matter Expert (SME) who has a comment on each individual task statement, a story about every clinical scenario, and a strong opinion about the rating scale you finalized 20 minutes ago. This SME is here to dominate the conversation, which can throw your whole meeting off track.
Your gut instinct may be to treat this person as a problem to contain, especially if your other SMEs are more tentative in their interactions. However, excessive chattiness can signal that someone has a lot of expertise to contribute, but nothing specific to do. Here are some quick solutions for working with a dominant SME so you can streamline your meetings and keep everyone moving forward.
What do I do when a dominant SME derails the conversation?
Start by assuming the connection between what the SME is saying and the topic at hand exists, and you just can’t see it yet. An SME who veers into reimbursement policy in the middle of a task inventory may be circling something that does affect how the domain gets defined, but they just haven’t said the connecting sentence out loud.
So, ask for it: I want to make sure I’m following. Can you help me connect this back to the task list we’re rating?
That question gives the dominant SME a chance to make their point land, and an equally graceful chance to hear themselves and self-correct. Either outcome is a win, and neither requires you to be the person who shut someone down.
When you’d rather not focus on the individual at all, point at something everyone in the room can see throughout the meeting, such as an agenda, a timer, or a running set of notes.
According to our notes, we already worked through this assessment domain. Can we hold this topic of conversation and come back to where we were?
The document draws attention away from the SME, which considerably softens the perceived intensity of the corrective action.
And if the tangent is truly important but not for today’s work, say so and put a timeframe on it to revisit. People let go of a topic more easily if they know exactly when they’ll be able to get back to it.
If the SME is still distracting, you may pull them aside during a break and say something positive: I appreciate your passion and commitment to the project.
Then remind them that the group needs to come to consensus, which requires staying on task and getting everyone’s input before proceeding. This is a subtle way of recognizing their individual expertise and enthusiasm while acknowledging that the outcome of the work depends upon the group working together to reach a decision.
What should I do when a SME talks too much?
Chronic talkers are not incapable of restraint. They’re often just operating without a stated limit.
Set expectations before the first agenda item, before any interruptions even occur. Tell the group how long you have, how much time is devoted to each agenda section, and how you intend to make decisions (vote, consensus, or facilitator’s call).
Frequently, the root motivation of over-talking is that someone has been half-heard for years and learned to keep going until they see evidence of reception. Working well with a dominant SME means giving them that evidence early with eye contact, a readback, or a follow-up question, after which they may voluntarily cede the floor.
If that doesn’t work, help them land the plane:
Given everything you’ve laid out, what’s your recommendation on this item? Or: What do you want the group to do with that?
Extraverted SMEs are prone to thinking out loud, and their monologue might be signaling a decision in progress. Asking for the conclusion converts the talking into something you can record, and it lets the SME wrap up on their own terms instead of being cut off.
If someone really never leaves an opening for the above methods, wait for them to pause for air. That’s when you can step in and guide them.
How do I work with a dominant SME when they critique everything but never offer a solution?
This is the hardest position to be in, and it’s where our Principal Psychometrician Ian Hembry’s approach is worth stealing.
Give that person a job.
Provide the person with a real, specific role, with a deliverable and a deadline. Ask them to run the literature review on the practice area they keep raising. Ask them to reconcile the two competing task statements the group has been circling and come back with one recommendation. Ask them to draft the rationale for the cut score discussion.
Critique is cheap while ownership is expensive. The moment a dominant SME is responsible for producing a defensible recommendation, they have to make the tradeoff themselves. The same concern that was showing up as an objection gets channeled into a viable work product. You get their depth in a format the group can review, which is what you wanted from them in the first place.
One caution: the task must matter. Assign busy work and the person you assigned it to will know, then you’ll have converted a talkative SME into a resentful one.
Once that SME has their assignment, you can stop bracing for the next interruption and go back to running the meeting. Detaching from the disruption is what lets you see the room again. You’ll start noticing the SME who hasn’t spoken in 40 minutes, the one who’s changed the same rating three times, the fatigue the group feels by hour four. Now you can focus on meeting the group’s needs and achieving the task at hand.
Working with Dominant SMEs: Reframe for Success
Adjusting your communication and facilitation techniques to work with dominant SMEs takes practice. Across all the above scenarios, the reframe is the same: the SME overwhelming your meeting is rarely trying to hijack it. Maintain your composure and focus on empowering the SME to contribute effectively, rather than shutting them down.
Quadterion works with your SMEs to ensure everyone participates equitably and you get the most out of your development workshops. Reach out now for a personalized assessment!
Sources:
- 3 Ways to Get Your Meeting Back on Track
- How to Stop Talking
- How to stop the same people from doing all the talking
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