Introducing Myself

Last week, I was in a new room for the first time, introducing myself to more than a dozen unfamiliar faces. This wasn't for work—it was a social, though still professional, gathering of sorts—and introductions were happening individually. I was introducing myself over and over again, making small talk but also learning more about each individual over the course of 90 minutes.

Unexpectedly, I found the act of introducing myself—more specifically, how I introduced what I do for a living—challenging. It is often the case that my introduction is tailored to the room I'm in. If I'm at a wedding, I introduce myself as the relationship to which I have with the couple. If I'm at a work function, I introduce myself as my job title. In this case, I had no such starting point.

Do I tell them my job title? No, that's kind of a mouthful. Do I tell them my industry? Well, that varies based on the job I'm talking about.

Ultimately, I settled on, "I work in communications." This was broad enough which lent itself to a follow up question more often than not, in which I could clarify further. Sometimes this sufficed, but on two occasions, people appeared more confused by my response. But in my mind, it makes perfect sense to introduce myself as working in communications, even though that term does not appear in any of my job titles.

To me, everything I do is communications.

At Temple, I am taking data—numbers and raw information—and communicating what they mean to a wide array of audiences in varying departments. At Nightingale, I am working with data visualization professionals and aiding them in communicating what their visual, message, or story means. A large chunk of my career has been spent designing websites and logos—communicating a story visually—as well as working in public relations, which is very on-the-nose for communications work.

I don't give them this full explanation if granted the opportunity to expand beyond, "I work in communications," but I do like having this umbrella to sit under. I don't always feel like, 'data analyst,' 'publication editor,' or 'graphic designer' accurately place me in a box to check, nor do I want to fit into one of those individually.

To be honest, I preferred when I wasn't asked about my job at all, and instead could tell them I own several dozen chickens and collect animation memorabilia.