Leading the Witness: Interview Tactics to Draw Out the Details from SMEs

As a technical writer in the ever-changing merchant services industry, the fast-moving fintech sector, the rapidly evolving world of managed IT services (or similar fields), getting comprehensive information from subject matter experts (SMEs) is crucial yet challenging. SMEs are busy and may give vague or incomplete responses during interviews. This can leave us with gaps in documentation that confuse clients, evaluators, users, and support staff.

That’s why I borrow techniques from the legal world of “leading the witness” to conduct more effective SME interviews. Lawyers use strategic questioning to draw out the precise testimony they need from witnesses. We can apply similar tactics to document complex solutions thoroughly.

Ask Sharp, Targeted Questions Instead of Broad, Bland Ones

Managed IT:

Rather than open-ended questions like “How does the client onboarding process work?”, I’ll ask:

“Walk me through the specific onboarding steps once a signed contract is received. What systems need to be configured and…