When a strong idea fades: Quantum Decoherence in Presentations
Have you ever experienced this?
You had a brilliant idea. You tested it, refined it, and shared it with enthusiasm. Then… you presented it in another context, to a different audience. And it just didn’t work.
Something invisible, but powerful, happened. That’s decoherence.
Deep insight: What is quantum decoherence?
In quantum physics, decoherence is the process by which a quantum system loses its quantum behaviour (characterised by probabilities, superpositions, potentialities) and collapses into a single classical state.
Not because it breaks. But because it interacts with the environment, with too many external variables. It’s as if the system is forced to become one thing, instead of existing as many things at once.
👉 Watch this explanation: What Is Quantum Decoherence? | Jim Al-Khalili
And in communication?
The same thing happens when a narrative is removed from its original context and exposed to too many different stimuli.
While preparing a presentation for an international conference, it happened to one of my clients in the scientific field. The original version, in Italian, was brilliant: well-crafted cultural references, humour, and famous movie quotes that worked beautifully with an Italian audience.
But when he tried to simply “translate” it into English, without adapting it for the new audience, everything fell flat.
❌ The jokes didn’t land.
❌ The cultural references were missed.
❌ The rhythm, empathy, and connection… all felt out of sync.
It wasn’t the idea that failed. It was the context that had changed. That’s narrative decoherence.
We worked together to restore coherence, not by translating, but by reframing the narrative for that specific audience, adjusting tone, energy, and references. The core message stayed the same, but it started to resonate again.
Exercise: Narrative Coherence Map
This is one of the exercises I regularly use in my workshops and participants consistently find it incredibly helpful for bringing clarity to their ideas.
Take an idea, a presentation, or a project you're working on. Draw a circle and divide it into 4 parts:
Where was the idea born? (original context)
Who is receiving it? (target audience)
How will it be expressed? (channel, format, language)
What is it meant to achieve? (final goal)
Ask yourself:
– Are all four parts aligned?
– Which quadrant feels out of tune?
– What can you adjust to restore coherence?
📌 A strong narrative is like a quantum system in balance: even a small interference can change how it behaves.
Tips to protect narrative coherence across contexts
📍 Adapt, don’t just translate;
📍 Consider the cultural context;
📍 Reduce complexity when possible;
📍 Test your story outside your “quantum field”;
📍 Let go of your narrative ego.
Next time your presentation doesn’t land…maybe it’s not the idea that’s weak. Maybe it’s just decoherence.
This article is part of Quantum Presentations: a series exploring how ideas from quantum physics can elevate storytelling, communication, and presentation design.
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