You had me at the tone: How fragility creates stronger presentations
How important is it to find the right tone in a presentation?
🎤 Quantum coherence and narrative vulnerability: two unlikely allies to communicate more effectively.
In the quantum world, everything is suspended between multiple possibilities. Particles exist in superposition, both here and not here, as if the universe itself is holding its breath. But this fragile dance can only occur under a condition of coherence. An invisible but powerful state where everything remains balanced, until a disturbance breaks the spell.
When we tell a story (in a meeting, a keynote, or a deck), we move through a similar dynamic. We seek balance, flow, and harmony. We try to find the right tone: something that holds together our intentions, slides, words, and voice. But tone is fragile. It can shatter with one wrong word, one inconsistent slide, one sudden shift in rhythm.
Just like in quantum mechanics, coherence is temporary, delicate… and essential. And sometimes, to protect it, we have to do something counterintuitive: We have to show a bit of narrative vulnerability.
🔬 What quantum coherence teaches us
In quantum physics, coherence allows a system to remain in superposition: multiple states coexist. It’s what lets a system remain open, complex and full of potential.
But coherence is easily disturbed. A single observation, a small external interaction, and the system “collapses” into one defined outcome. The magic ends. Possibilities become reality.
That fragility made me think about the tone of a presentation: You find it, you feel it, you build it… and then you have to protect it. Because of one wrong move and it collapses.
🧭 What do we mean by “tone”, really?
Tone is often hard to define, but easy to recognise when it’s missing.
It’s not just linguistic register (formal/informal). Not just visual style (colours, fonts, pace). It’s a global feeling that guides your audience, like an undercurrent aligning your message, your intention, and how it’s perceived.
Tone is the music of your presentation. It’s not in the notes: it’s in how you make them resonate together.
As Valentina Falcinelli writes in her book Testi che parlano:
“Tone is a thermometer: it measures the distance between what we say and how we say it.”
And this thermometer is not just a metaphor — it’s a real framework. Falcinelli visually maps tone from cold to warm, from institutional to expressive.
🔵 Cold → bureaucratic, impersonal
🟢 Neutral → professional, objective
🟡 Warm → friendly, human
🔴 Colourful → informal, bold, expressive
This scale is extremely useful when crafting a presentation: Where is your tone on this thermometer? And more importantly, is it staying consistent from slide to slide, from intro to close?
📌 Valentina Falcinelli’s book, Testi che parlano. Il tono di voce nei testi aziendali (Franco Cesati Editore, 2020). A brilliant and practical guide for anyone working with communication, brands, or content.
🛠 Finding your tone is hard. Keeping it is harder.
It takes time and clarity to find the right tone. But once you find it, the real challenge is not breaking it.
Because interference is everywhere:
Decks created by multiple people;
Last-minute changes;
Content pulled from different sources.
Clashing styles, intentions, or communication preferences.
Like in quantum physics, even a minor disruption can break coherence. And when that happens, the audience senses it, maybe not consciously, but they feel something is off. They disconnect.
🕳 The strength of narrative vulnerability
Here’s the paradox: Vulnerability doesn’t break coherence; it reinforces it. Showing your narrative vulnerability doesn’t mean being unprepared. It means acknowledging complexity. Letting human texture emerge. Revealing a truth that hasn’t been fully tamed.
A few examples:
🌀 When you share not just the result, but also the doubt that came before it, you invite your audience into a more honest space.
🎭 When you tell a personal story that challenged you, you’re not oversharing — you’re building trust.
⏳ When you admit that a decision came late but made all the difference, you demonstrate that progress isn’t always linear, and that’s okay.
Well-handled vulnerability doesn’t weaken your narrative. It makes it memorable. Because it makes it real.
🧠 Why it works
Because people today don’t want flawless stories. They want coherent ones. They want honest ones.
A tone that’s too polished feels artificial. A tone that allows a bit of roughness (a hesitation, a pause, a surprise) feels authentic. In a world where everyone is presenting, those who connect emotionally stand out.
🎯 How to build narrative tone and coherence
Start with an emotional intention. Before writing your first slide, ask: How do I want them to feel? (Encouraged? Surprised? Confident?)
Stick to one voice. Even if a team built the deck, make it sound like one person is speaking.
Let small cracks show. Don’t edit out every imperfection. Some of them may be the most human part of your story.
🧪 Try this exercise
Pick 3 slides from your last presentation. Ask yourself for each:
What tone does this slide express?
Is it consistent with the one before?
Where is coherence lost — and why?
This isn’t about fixing it yet. Just observe. Awareness is where coherence begins.
🔁 From physics to practice
In quantum mechanics, coherence is what holds together complex systems. But it’s fragile. It requires balance, protection and attention.
In presentations, tone plays the same role. When you hold it, protect it, and allow a bit of vulnerability to emerge, your story becomes stronger. More human. More powerful.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what your audience needs.
This article is part of Quantum Presentations: a series exploring how ideas from quantum physics can elevate storytelling, communication, and presentation design.
Curious to bring more clarity, emotion
and intention into your communication?
Discover how I support brands and leaders in crafting stories that move people.