This too is technical communication

[Ned Bedinger]

Mike Starr wrote:
> John, you're missing the point here... I want the SMEs to explain things to 
> me like it was *ME* who's the high-school dropout forklift driver. 

I've been reading this 'idiot' interview technique thing as hyperbole, 
not something you would actually try to do. But if you're actually going 
to SMEs and saying "Start at the beginning, explain it to me as if I 
know nothing about it," then I hope it is with the understanding that 
you'll stop them when you've found your grip on the topic.

Otherwise, I can't think of how you keep them from thinking you're 
helpless. My SMEs don't appreciate helplessness in a tech writer. They'd 
be saying "Uh oh, the village idiot wants an hour, I'll tell him I'm 
slammed and busy for the rest of the month."