Business Analyst 2.0 Presentation at my company

I gave the Business Analyst 2.0 presentation to my company. Surprisingly, around 30% of the people in the company showed up! That is an incredibly high number considering many many folks are offsite. I think I did pretty well, around a 7 out of 10. It got people laughing, some people were very enthusiastic and ran up to greet me after I was done. Notably, the CEO and the managing director of HR was there to see me.

20 something take away:

1. Set up everything your self - I got the projector 1 hour before my presentation. I set it up 20 minutes before the presentation started. I got the screen to be completely filled up. BIG screens are best. You really want to have the biggest picture possible. I also positioned my speaking table where I wanted it to be. No one cares about your presentation as much as you do. It's up to you to set it up correctly.
2. Prepare the people - I scheduled it during lunch time, something that should be avoided if possible. When people are hungry or busy eating, they think with their reptilian brain (about survival) and don't focus on YOU. Unfortunately, this was the only time available.
   
   How did I prep the room and the people? First, I knew people would be eating. Put napkins next to each seat so people with dirty hands won't be thinking about cleaning up, they will use the napkin and then focus on you. Second, I read up on some interesting facts about food. Luckily, I read a NYT Op-Ed about how in 20 years there will be no bananas anymore. This stimulated conversation and made people think, "Wow, this person is really interesting" before I even started talking. Another trick I use is to pass out a joke on a sheet of paper. People read it while waiting for others to get settled, and it puts them in a good mood when you start.