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Carrie Baker wondered, "How you take notes in SME interviews."
My answer: the ever popular, "It depends."
I tend to prefer taking notes in a paper notebook. SMEs are seldom
linear thinkers, and I often find myself drawing a circle around a note
and inserting it elsewhere. It's hard to do that in real time on a
laptop. I find it easier to capture a semblance of their sketches and
schematics on paper. And I often make marginal notes of things to ask
later, and it's helpful to have the context in which it came up.
If I'm listening to a prepared presentation, I would be more likely to
use the laptop. Of course, if the presentation came with PowerPoint
slides, I'd ask for a copy beforehand, print it out in "Handouts"
format, and take notes on the handout itself.
Some of my best SME interviews have come about informally...meeting
someone at the coffee station, having lunch, leading a conversation from
football or a pet parrot (seriously, it happened!) into something about
a product that I'm interested in.
If I'm in the SME's office, I might ask if it's OK if I bring a digital
camera. Many engineers are very visual people, and they tend to draw on
a whiteboard in living color. At the end of the interview, or before
they erase the board, I ask if I can get a picture of it and offer to
share it with them. Most are thrilled to have their work taken
literally. That way, you both have a record.
I also find that using a paper notebook lets me maintain some kind of
eye contact with the SME, assuring the SME that I'm listening. They can
see what I'm doing, too, which is reassuring to both of us. Really, they
love to show off their knowledge and their "babies," and they really do
need to see that you're paying attention to *them*, not to your laptop.
Besides, I find that I'm usually balancing my notebook on my lap while
sitting in a guest chair in the SME's office, and it's a lot cheaper to
recover a paper notebook if you drop it than it is to fix a dropped
laptop! <G>
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