The National Training Laboratories Institute for Applied Behavioral Science identifies an average learning retention rate of 75% through practice-by-doing activities. Interactive simulation is one of the most effective means of putting into practice new knowledge and retaining it for improved job performance. The wisdom of subject matter experts (SMEs) is at the root of simulations that provide choices with lifelike rewards and consequences. The more authentic the sim, the greater its value. But how do you get an expert to relive disasters and triumphs for the sake of an organization that s/he may be leaving? This session covers best practices for identifying, capturing and leveraging the valuable information of colleagues and the use of this knowledge to design and develop cost-effective simulations that scale.

1. TheEffective useof Subject Matter Experts in Serious Games
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Patricia Franklin~ Serious Play Conference
Universityof SouthernCalifornia July21th -24th,2014

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4. Our keepers of the flame
Subject Matter Experts
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5. SME-based Serious Games can:
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Integrate knowledge-sharing and processes with an organization’s
strategic business objectives
Integrate knowledge-sharing with performance management processes
-- making it a core competency
Reward experts who are recognized for participation
Encourage employees to see knowledge-sharing as
a leadership development opportunity
What’s not to love?

6. ←Simulations
Simulations
Tell me and I'll forget.
Show me and I may remember.
Involve me and I'll understand.
-- Chinese Proverb
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7. Think Like a Game Designer
Tough lessons in
Safe Environment
Emotions-driven
Interactivity
Perfect Teaching Moment
Emotion Drives Engagement
Dramatic Arc:
Set Up
Dilemma
Chaos
Resolution
Interventions –
SMEs
Mentors
Meta Mentors
Resources
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8. Think Like a Game Designer
Act 2: Dilemma
Dramatic ArcAct 1: Set Up
Act 3: Chaos
Act 4: Resolution
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9. Emotion Drives Engagement
Make Consequences Count.
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10. SMEs

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Mentors

12. Heroes
Leaders
Heroic
Impactful
Meta Mentors are:
Inspiring
They’ve Got Grit
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13. SssStory
Don’t Die with the Music In You
Subject Matter Experts
Meta Mentors
Mentors
Transformative
Learning
Transformative
Learning
Simulation
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Simulation

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SMEs
come in all
Shapes,
Sizes &
Attitudes.

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28. Sponsor Identifies the expert
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30. What’s the Sponsor’s Vision?
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31. Research
Think about why the person has been
identified as an expert.
Find out everything you can:
History with the organization
Accomplishments and successes
Special skills and abilities
Relationships with customers/constituents
and other employees.
Learn about their failures
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32. Kick Off Meeting
Tell SME what you want ahead of time.
Set time limit / series of meetings.
Drop by their office. “Read the room.”
Break the ice.
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33. What are they passionate about?
• What do they want to be recognized for?
• What’s W.O.W. worthy?
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34. Be a Star
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36. Terry Gross
"A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine
curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San
Francisco Chronicle.
"Anyone who agrees to be interviewed must decide
where to draw the line between what is public and
what is private," Gross says. "But the line can shift,
depending on who is asking the questions. What puts
someone on guard isn't necessarily the fear of being
'found out.' It sometimes is just the fear of being
misunderstood."
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37. How to Express Understanding
• No judging
• Feel people’s feelings
• Eye contact
• Let them talk, vent
• Body contact
• Sharing, relating experiences
• Be patient
• Show you are listening
• Acknowledging
• Paraphrasing
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38. Watch outs:
• Closed Questions
• Pretend you are listening
• Hijack the conversation
• Judgment / blame
• Avoid eye contact
• Yawning
• Talking
• Harping on mistake
• Give them a solution or advice w/o permission
• Not caring
• Dismissive
• Distracted
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39. “Eww” “Oh yeah? Is that all you got?”
Watch outs:
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40. Establish Trust
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41. Hone Your Interview skills
• Respect
• Reinforce Trust
• Positive feelings, environment
• Active listening
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42. One thought per question.
Ask questions that ask:
Relevant, factual, specific info
Small Talk First.
How do you feel about x (the product, relationship, etc.)
How long have you worked on this project?
How do people most benefit from ...
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43. SME “Star Turn”
Repurpose audio
for simulation interventions.
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Test Recording Equipment
Takes Notes
Log Time Code

44. Open-ended Questions
1. Cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They “open up” the
dialogue.
3. “What” “How” “Who” “When” “Why.” “What do you think about...?”
“What qualifications are required?” “How do you feel about...?”
4. Be careful when asking “Why” questions so they don’t come across as
confrontational.
5. Objective questions. These ask for specific information. “What was the
evidence?” ”How have you been handling this process?” “What factors
are necessary to raise the bar?”
6. Problem-solving questions. Ask these when you want action ideas.
“What should you do next?” “How would you implement the steps we just
discussed?”
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45. Closed Questions
• Closed questions often begin with “Are” “Can” “Did” “Do” etc.
• Closed questions also come in different types: Identification
questions ask “What kind of gizmo is this?” “Who is responsible for
this...?”
• Selection questions ask “either/or.” “Who is right, the manager or
the employee?”
• Yes/no questions. “Does this customer need this?” “Has the new
process been presented to the managers?”
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46. Idea Questions
These questions usually start with the words:
• “Imagine...
• “Suppose...
• “Predict...
• “If..., then...
• “How might...
• “Can you create...
• “What are some possible consequences...
• Some examples of idea questions are:
• “Suppose XYZ were to happen within the next three months. How would that
affect team dynamics?”
• “If our founder returned today, what would she think about the changes?”
• “What are some possible consequences if employees do not accept this
initiative?”
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47. Ask focused questions to elicit facts or concepts.
• Recalling facts. “What is the function of [this program]?”
• Defining terms. “What is a [bit, byte, gigabyte]?
• Categorizing. “What characteristics do all these [services] share?”
• Confirming. “When have you seen anything like this before?”
Focused Questions
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48. Establish a Logical Flow
• What (is the process, principle, practice, idea, overview?)
• Why (is it important?)
• Who (is the customer/constituent, user, provider, deliverer, recipient?)
• When (is this best used, applied, practiced, delivered?)
• Where (is it best used, applied, practiced, delivered?)
• How (do you do what you do?)
• Be explicit about what you want respondents to do:
– tell a story
– offer tips and insight
– outline a process
– provide opinion pointers, etc.
• Be considerate of experts’ time by preparing well in advance.
– This will also reduce editing time.
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49. Follow-Up Questions
 Can you explain what you mean by that?
 Can you give us an example?
 How often does that happen?
 Has that ever happened before?
 How do you know that?
 How would someone else know that?
 What was your (his/her) role in that?
 What happened next?
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50. TipsNever:
 Anticipate what's coming
 Interrupt
 Finish sentences
 Criticize
 Argue
 Show Bias
 Stereotypes
 Tolerate silence:
 Elicit deeper thoughts
 More consideration
 Juicier facts
 "I shouldn't probably be telling you this, but..:"
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51. For Compelling Simulations:
Focus on Failure
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53. • What was the worst thing that happened?
• (Or that could have happened?)
• Who was affected?
• What were the costs?
• What would you have done differently?
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54. Listen with your eyes,
Body posture,
Movements,
Facial Expressions.
Observe your
'Presence'
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55. Listen with your heart:
Analyze feelings,
Notice loudness of speech,
Notice pace,
Hear tone,
Feel the emotions.
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56. Being listened to feels so much
like being loved,
we cannot tell the difference.
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57. Go deep.
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58. Provide the Big Picture
Help your SME realize their impact.
His or her experience
carries great value
& meaning.
They are heroic.
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59. Classic Four Act Drama-Based Inquiry
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60. Act One: Set Up
 Who was on the project?
 What were they like? (roles, ages, experience,
personality types, issues, agendas)
 Who else should have been involved?
 What was the goal?
 Where did it happen?
Act One: Set Up
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61. Act Two: Dilemma
 What did you discover early on that gave you
pause?
 What choices did you face?
 What was at stake?
 Which option did you go for and why?
 What did you think was going to happen with
each option?
 How were you led to believe these outcomes?
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62. Act Three: Chaos
 What triggered the situation?
 How were you surprised?
 How were you prepared?
 What would you have done differently?
 How would you describe the damages?
 What did you learn?
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63. Act Three: Chaos
 What experts, mentors, historic figures,
celebrities, etc. would you have liked to have
heard from at the time?
 What would they have said?
 What resources – books, files, manuals, etc.
would have been ideal to have had and why?
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64. Act Four: Resolution
 How did you and others deal with the chaos?
 Was it satisfactory?
 How could it have been better for everyone?
 What lessons did you and others learn?
 How have you applied the learning &
experience?
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65. Learning Integrated Framework Environment (LIFE™)
Integrates assessment, simulation, mentoring & collaboration
Subject Matter Experts’ War Stories
Become the basis of Simulations
Scenarios:
– Act I Set up
– Act II Dilemma
– Act III Chaos
– Act IV Resolution
Serious Games
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66. Act 2: Dilemma
Act 1: Set Up
Act 4: Resolution
LIFE™
Assessment /Sim /Mentoring /Collaboration
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Act 3: Chaos
Act 4: Resolution

67. Act I: Set Up
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69. Act II: Dilemma
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71. Decision
Tree
Do Not Accept
Them
Investigate
Put them on Non-
Critical Tasks
Try to Resolve
their Feud
112_Decision Time
1a
1b
1d
1e
178_JB internal
Voice
180_Dorle, JB too
bad About Lilly
181_JB is it true?
182_JB, Lily,
Afraid so?
183_JB internal
Voice
Decision
Tree
Are you really that
unhappy?
Don’t do this Lilly
Sorry to see you go
5a
5b
5c
184_Lily, Ok, But
What?
185_JB You, Trey,
Me Will talk
186_JB It wasn’t
easy
187_Decision
Decision
Tree
What’s up with
you two?
Bury the Hatchet
What Can I do? 188_JB_Get
Underneath The story
189_Fragile Peace
Where to go?
Decision
Tree
190_Decision
I’ll give you an
easy Project
I’ll give you a
hard project
I’m putting you on
Separate projects
191_Okay, I’m
fine
192_Keys to
Success
193_Summary
6
a
6b
6c
7
a
7
b
7
c
Options
Take assessment
Or
Replay
(Back to 112)
Score
Score
Score
Incorrect
Result--Montage
Incorrect
Result--Montage
Score
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73. Act III: Chaos
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74. Act IV: Resolution
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75. SME-based Serious Games can:
 Integrate knowledge-sharing with strategic business
objectives
 Make knowledge sharing a core competency
 Reward experts who are recognized for participation through
performance management.
 Encourage employees to see knowledge-sharing as a
leadership development opportunity
Copyright 2014 The Learning Alchemist

76. Individual Development Plans

77. SME Leaders
Inform
Inspire
& Transform us
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78. ThankYou!
Patricia Franklin
patricia@thelearningalchemist.com
www.thelearningalchemist.com
858792-0961
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