Emergency management is a complex profession. Explaining its value shouldn’t have to be.
If someone asked you what you do for a living, how would you answer?
Sometimes we don’t even attempt to explain what we do. We simply offer our job title and assume it speaks for itself.
“I’m the County Emergency Manager.”
“I’m the Public Assistance Director.”
“I’m the Business Continuity Manager.”
To those of us in the profession, these titles carry meaning. But to someone unfamiliar with emergency management, they may communicate very little or suggest something entirely different. A Public Assistance Director, for example, might oversee the complex work of helping communities navigate federal disaster recovery funding. But without that context, someone might reasonably assume the role has something to do with social services or public benefits.
And what does emergency manager mean to someone outside our profession? Do they picture a first responder? Someone coordinating disaster relief? Someone who shows up when a hurricane makes landfall? We know what these roles involve because we understand the context. The person we’re talking to may not.
Emergency management is a broad, multidisciplinary field. Our work spans government, healthcare, utilities, education, nonprofit organizations, and private industry. Even within the profession, responsibilities can look remarkably different depending on where we work. So perhaps it’s no surprise that explaining what we do isn’t always easy.
But I don’t believe emergency management necessarily has an identity problem. I think we have an articulation problem.
We know what we do. We just aren’t always effective at communicating why it matters.
Why This Matters More Than We Think
It’s easy to dismiss the question of how we explain our work as something relatively insignificant. After all, does it really matter whether the person sitting next to us on an airplane understands emergency management Maybe not in that particular moment. But the ability to articulate our value doesn’t suddenly become important when we’re standing in front of an executive, asking for resources, or trying to establish a new partnership. It’s a skill we carry into all of those conversations. And if we struggle to explain what we contribute in a casual setting, it’s worth considering how effectively we’re communicating that value when the stakes are higher.
Emergency management is a profession built around helping others understand risk, recognize vulnerabilities, and make informed decisions. Communication is central to that work. Yet when the subject turns to our own profession, we sometimes fall back on terminology, responsibilities, and assumptions that make perfect sense to us but mean very little to someone else. We shouldn’t expect people to appreciate contributions they don’t understand. And we shouldn’t assume that the importance of our work is self-evident simply because it’s obvious to us.
The Challenge of Being Understood
Part of what makes emergency management difficult to explain is that there isn’t one universal experience of the profession. An emergency manager working in a local government may have a very different set of responsibilities than someone working for a hospital, university, utility, or private company. Some practitioners spend much of their time focused on preparedness and mitigation. Others work extensively in response, recovery, continuity, or organizational resilience.
Many of us move between those responsibilities depending on the day, the circumstances, and the needs of the organizations we serve. That diversity is one of the profession’s strengths. But it also means we can’t rely on a job title or a single definition to communicate the full value of our work. And while we may be accustomed to explaining emergency management to other practitioners, that’s not the audience we most need to reach.
The people making decisions about investments, organizational priorities, partnerships, and leadership opportunities don’t necessarily share our professional vocabulary. It’s our responsibility to help bridge that gap.
It’s Time to Own It
I created It’s Time to Own It, a free Emergency Manager Elevator Pitch Guide, because I believe emergency management professionals deserve to be able to speak confidently about the work they do and the impact they make. Whether you’re just entering the profession or have decades of experience, finding the right words isn’t always easy.
An elevator pitch isn’t just about having a polished response to the question, “What do you do?” It’s about being able to communicate your contribution in a way that helps others recognize why your work matters. The guide is designed to help you develop that message in your own words, with your own experience and audience in mind.
[Download It’s Time to Own It: The Free Emergency Manager Elevator Pitch Guide]
The next time someone asks what you do, you can certainly start with your job title. Just don’t stop there.
You know what you do. Make sure they understand why it matters.