Praxis Creative Studio

The best learning content doesn’t happen in a silo—it happens when SMEs and Instructional Designers (IDs) work in lockstep. But often, that handoff is messy, leading to endless back-and-forth and watered-down training. I’ve found that the secret isn’t just asking SMEs for “better content,” it’s creating a collaboration environment that guides them to provide exactly what the design team needs.

When I led initiatives at SC Johnson and CoorsTek, I stopped trying to make every SME an Instructional Designer. Instead, I focused on being an Architect.

Here is how I standardize authoring for SMEs:

1. Templates over freedom: Give them structured layouts where they plug in text, not design elements.
2. Built-in Guardrails: Pre-define brand colors, fonts, and interaction styles so the build stays compliant.
3. The “Cheat Sheet”: Provide a one-page guide that answers the 80% of questions they’ll inevitably have.

When you shift from “Content Creator” to “Content Architect,” your SMEs become your greatest scale engine.

How are you balancing SME freedom with brand consistency?

#SMEEmpowerment #LearningDesign #LXD #InstructionalDesign #CorporateLearning