We have all been there.

You send out the Storyboard for review. You copy the Subject Matter Expert (SME), the Department Head, and maybe “Bob from Compliance” just to be safe.

Three days later, the feedback arrives.

• SME #1: “Change this scenario to focus on sales.”
• SME #2: “No, sales is irrelevant here. Focus on customer service.”
• Bob from Compliance: “Delete the scenario entirely. It’s too risky.”

You are now stuck in the Feedback Loop of Doom. Conflicting instructions paralyse you, and your timeline is burning.

This is why, over years of navigating corporate minefields, I have established a non-negotiable rule for my projects: The “One Voice” Policy.

I only accept feedback from one dedicated SME. Here is why you should too.

1. The “Frankenstein” Course

When you try to please five different stakeholders, you don’t build a cohesive course. You build a Frankenstein monster.

• One person wants it formal.
• Another wants it fun.
• Another wants it shorter, but adds 10 paragraphs of text.

If you implement everyone’s feedback, the tone shifts wildly from slide to slide. The narrative arc breaks. The learner is left confused, trying to navigate a course that clearly had an identity crisis during development.

The Fix: One dedicated SME acts as the filter. They must synthesise the conflicting opinions of their team before the feedback reaches you.

2. Accountability Evaporation

When five people are responsible for feedback, no one is responsible.

If “SME A” tells you to change a policy definition, and you change it, “SME B” might come back a week later and say, “Who approved this? It’s wrong!”

Suddenly, you are the one in trouble. You become the scapegoat for their internal miscommunication.

The Fix: When you require a single point of contact, you create a paper trail of accountability. If the dedicated SME signs off on the change, it is “all good to go.” The internal arguments happen on their time, not yours.

3. Efficiency vs. Chaos

Consolidating feedback is not your job.

Your job is to design learning experiences. If you spend 10 hours cross-referencing five different spreadsheets of comments, trying to figure out which “Manager of the Month” has the final say, you are wasting the client’s budget.

The “One Voice” Workflow:

1. The Committee Review: The client can invite as many people as they want to review the course internally.
2. The Internal Meeting: They meet, without you, to argue, debate, and fight over the content.
3. The Consolidation: The Lead SME collates the agreed-upon changes into one master document.
4. The Handoff: You receive one clear, non-contradictory list of edits.

How to Enforce It (Without Being Rude)

You might feel awkward telling a client, “I won’t listen to your boss.” But this isn’t about ego; it’s about Project Management.

Frame it as a benefit to them:

“To ensure we hit our launch deadline and keep the budget on track, I require a ‘Single Point of Truth’ for all feedback. I welcome input from your wider team, but please consolidate all feedback into one master document approved by [Lead SME Name] before sending it to me. This prevents conflicting edits and ensures your final message is consistent.”

The Bottom Line

Design by committee is death by a thousand cuts.

You need a partner, not a crowd. By insisting on one dedicated SME, you aren’t being difficult—you are being professional. You are protecting the integrity of the course, the project timeline, and the sanity of everyone involved.

Struggling to set boundaries with stakeholders? Book a coaching session with me to learn the scripts and strategies for managing SMEs effectively.