When you’re driving a project and your Subject Matter Expert (SME) suddenly goes silent, it can derail your timeline—and your confidence. Fortunately, by tapping into communication strategies from respected experts, instructional designers, and sales pros, you can meaningfully reengage. Here are five practical, proven workarounds.
1. Reflect and Reframe Your Mindset
First, remember that being ghosted isn’t personal—it’s about them. It is not about you; it is about them. Perhaps your SME is overloaded, dealing with priorities you don’t know, or simply struggling to set boundaries.
Also ghosting doesn’t always signal disinterest—it may just mean your SME is busy. Keeping that perspective helps you maintain your composure and readiness to act.
2. Use Multiple Channels and Gentle Follow-Ups
If email goes cold, don’t just stare at your sent folder. Switching communication channels can be effective—like trying phone calls, chat, or even an old-fashioned letter. Meanwhile, the sales world teaches how variety can prompt reconnections.
- “Try many touchpoints”—email, LinkedIn, phone calls, voice notes—even snail mail
- Reddit users swear by tactics like “Have you given up on this?” to get responses—even if it’s just a “no”
Start with something low-effort: a quick chat message. If nothing responds, escalate gradually: a calendar invite, a LinkedIn ping, a phone voicemail, even a gentle “checking in” handwritten note.
3. Show Genuine Value—Unconventionally
What can you offer beyond chasing updates? Consider adding value. Unconventional approaches can do miracles—personalized content, memes, even a small gift—with the singular aim of starting a conversation.
For SMEs, that could mean sending a short relevant article, a link to a new resource, or a brief video explaining a key question. Or you could produce a low-effort mock-up or outline that brings clarity to the next step. By shifting the ask from “Where are you?” to “Here’s something useful,” you’re reframing the interaction warmly and strategically.
4. Lean on Professional Networks
Dr. Hobson and his readers suggest pulling in a connection from their network. On LinkedIn, one reader noted:
“I used my supervisor to reach out or utilized some of the SME’s network via a message through Microsoft Teams”.
In your case, bringing on a secondary SME or inviting the SME’s colleague into the conversation helps unblock both the project and communication. It subtly signals priority and shows that others are invested in progress too.
5. Set Clear Expectations and Build Follow-Through Plans Early
Prevention is often easier than cure. Sales experts advise setting expectations from day one: agree on communication channels, response times, decision cadence, and next steps .
In your kickoff meeting, clarify:
- Preferred channel? (Email, chat, calendar invites?)
- Expected response window? (“I’ll follow up if I haven’t heard back after three business days.”)
- Next milestones and checkpoints? (“Let’s aim to wrap content review by X date, then sync.”)
Agreeing on this gives you not just structure, but also clear triggers for follow-up—without feeling you’re nagging.
Conclusion: Manage Ghosting with Grace and Strategy
When an SME ghosts you, take these five steps:
- Reframe—it’s not about you.
- Diversify outreach—use multiple methods, escalate in tone.
- Add value—share news, tools, or brief updates they’ll appreciate.
- Network tactfully—bring others into the conversation to refresh engagement.
- Plan prevention—set expectations and response rhythms from Day One.
With these tactics—you can calm project turbulence, reduce stress, and keep momentum alive. Ghosting may happen, but with empathy, persistence, adaptability, transparency, and strategic bonding, you can bring your SME—and your project—back into alignment.
By weaving mindset shifts, multi-channel tactics, value adds, team-based outreach, and clear planning, this five-point framework turns ghosting into an opportunity—not an obstacle.
