My Presentation at UNIFIL

Two weeks after the go-live of Umoja project, I was given an opportunity to present to the UNIFIL management, section chiefs and key users at the ramp up closure event. I had only two days and had to present the components related to user management and related topics. I decided to take the presentation into two segments one being the state of the union after the two weeks and segwayed to the main discussion point. I took a lot of time to take away the technical complexity of the topic and to provide a bigger brush stroke of the topic. I decided then to take the presentation to a different level and make the audience get involved with the topic. 
I was a bit nervous as the presentation room was shifted to a real & big meeting room that was equipped with a good set of presentation equipments. The day before I had to stay late night to make sure my Macbook pro works with the system. I was very thankful to my colleagues Jamal and his teammate for helping me late in the day despite their fasting. I had to make certain adjustments in the presentation to fit into the resolution of the big screen and two monitors on the sides. I also had to take my presentation on a memory stick if in case I'd some issues with the connectivity during the presentation time.
The day started well and the main discussion points were taken in the first session. As expected they over ran the schedule and that might have encroached into the later presentations. We took a break for 10 minutes and that gave me enough time to set up my MacBook and bring up the presentation on the screen. I had a rough idea of my narratives, but was confident to deliver. As the meeting started, I started with a small story to bring the group into the context of the content. I was very well aware that the first few minutes would be crucial to get their interest in what I'm going to say, keeping in mind the standard deviation of the exposure the my topic with the audience. I took the narrative as a story.
Other than a little hiccup at the initial stages with the mic, everything went well. Within few minutes, I was getting more and more confident, as I can see the faces of the audience bright and involved. I was able to  freely look into all directions during the delivery. I think it took around 31 minutes and when I wanted to finish, I thought of relating myself once again. I decided to say that my experience of changes in perception about UNIFIL from when I landed and till date and relate it to their experience with the new application. I finished with a big 'Thank You'; as I look around and waited, there was a bit of silence; then a burst of applause.
I felt very happy as everyone in the audience came to be, hugged and told me that the awed by the presentation and the clarity of the topics discussed. They were extremely generous to praise me all the way. 
The only thing I did not plan was to record the presentation; I had to reconstruct it later as there was a lot of interest generated by word of mouth. Here it is and let's see how you feel about it. Click on the image below: