Influencing Without Authority in Instructional Design

As instructional designers, we are tasked with creating engaging, effective learning materials using our instructional design training to do so. Meanwhile, we rely heavily on our subject matter experts so that our content is sound. Often, SMEs are colleagues from other departments or contacts from other organizations, and usually they do not report to us. This working relationship can pose a challenge, because most times SMEs aren’t held accountable to our same deadlines and goals.