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Location is everything when it comes to getting information from SMEs — Carcast
September 20th, 2007 | Posted in Tech Writer Voices |
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Duration: 21 min.
In this carcast, I deliver a 20 minute monologue about the best way to get information from SMEs: sit by them, permanently if possible. Many IT organizations station the writer remotely from the developers, programmers, and other SMEs, but nothing could be more damaging to getting the information you need. Increasing your proximity also increases the communication you receive. Music is from 37Hz.
More about this carcast
This is my second carcast so far. Actually, I botched this carcast several times and this was my fourth recording of it. By then I was tired of the topic and it showed, but I didn’t want to delete it entirely.
The basic idea in the carcast is that to get information from SMEs, you need to sit near them. Proximity opens up the channels of communication.
The first time I recorded the carcast, I did it spur of the moment for fun. I wandered a bit and said a few things that didn’t sound like me, but by and large it had more energy and passion than any other recording of the same topic.
The second time I recorded, it was too early (4:30 a.m.), and I sounded weird. It was like I was emphasizing my words too carefully; plus my nose was plugged. I deleted that too.
The third time I was on fire and I don’t think I paused hardly at all. I was racing through everything I wanted to say. Then I got home and realized the memory card was full and it had stopped recording at the 9 minute mark. This is one of the downfalls of the H4 Zoom recorder — when the disk is full, it stops silently.
The fourth time, tonight, I was just going through the motions. It does sound more like me, but the pauses (as I search for my thoughts or the right words) trouble me. Learning exactly how to pause, when and with what emphasis, must be key to effective delivery.
I remember reading or hearing Dave Winer say that you should only record things once, because if you record them multiple times, you forget what you’ve said. I think he has a good point — the first time, you may make mistakes, but also have more authentic emotion, which counts for more.
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September 20th, 2007 at 12:42 am
[...] created a carcast on the way home today. This is my second carcast so far. Actually, I botched this carcast several [...]
October 27th, 2007 at 6:24 am
[...] blog/site. Also, if you want to hear an audio version of this same general concept, see this carcast I did on Tech Writer [...]
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Hi, Tom. Great podcast. I’m surprised that you think your monologues aren’t as good as your interviews! This one contained some good information on interacting with SMEs, information that managers and tech writers alike should consider, and you did it without a zillion ummms and uhs!
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:10 am
Thanks Mary. I appreciate your comment. In the past, people have told me they enjoy the interviews best. But maybe I will start doing more me-only podcasts.
February 15th, 2008 at 7:01 am
[...] to project managers and project team members. As I said in a previous podcast, proximity to people with key project information is one of the best ways to get the information [...]