The 10 hidden laws that bring coherence to a presentation
Those who know me know that I impose on my Aquarian creativity a whole set of precise rules, a gift from my Virgo ascendant. They are not rigid constraints: they are coordinates. Invisible reference points that help me maintain balance, rhythm and coherence, even when the creative process wants to go in every direction at once.
Maybe that is why, when I discovered Leó Szilárd’s Ten Commandments for Scientists, I felt as if he had written them for me.
Szilárd, a brilliant Hungarian physicist, was one of the minds behind the discovery of nuclear fission and among the first to foresee its destructive potential. He convinced Einstein to sign the letter that started the Manhattan Project. But when the bomb became reality, Szilárd strongly opposed its use. In the last years of his life, he tried to channel his intellect into a different kind of energy: ethical energy. He wrote a decalogue, a moral code for those who work with the invisible, whether that means matter or ideas.
And reading it today, it feels perfect for anyone who creates presentations. Because a presentation, just like a quantum system, needs coherence, restraint and intention. And these ten rules, written more than sixty years ago, still speak directly to that.
The Ten Commandments of Leó Szilárd
(and their variations for those who work with storytelling and presentations)
1. Recognise the connections of things and the laws of conduct of men, so that you may know what you are doing. Every presentation is a living system. Slides, words, tone of voice, the audience: everything is connected. Knowing what you are doing means understanding why you are doing it.
2. Let your acts be directed toward a worthy goal, but do not ask if they will reach it; they are to be models and examples, not means to an end. A presentation should not exist only to convince. It should create meaning. Its value is not measured in applause but in resonance.
3. Speak to all men as you do to yourself, with no concern for the effect you make, so that you do not shut them out from your world. Speak with authenticity. The audience feels emotional truth before they process rational content.
4. Do not destroy what you cannot create. Every visual or narrative decision carries weight. Removing can be a creative act, but only if it is done with respect for what you remove.
5. Touch no dish except that you are hungry. Do not add slides just to fill space. Like in the Japanese hara hachi bu, stop at 80% full. Leave room for interpretation, for breath, for pause. Lightness is a form of respect.
6. Do not covet what you cannot have. Do not chase someone else’s style or borrow a design that does not belong to you. Form must come from content. A coherent presentation reflects your voice, not the trend of the moment.
7. Do not lie without need. Data exists to support your message, not to bend reality in your favour. Distorting information breaks the audience’s trust and trust is the first building block of narrative coherence.
8. Honour children. Listen reverently to their words and speak to them with infinite love. Wonder is the raw material of creativity. Looking at ideas with fresh eyes frees us from habit and reveals new connections. A good presentation is not only clear; it is capable of wonder.
9. Do your work for six years, but in the seventh, go into solitude or among strangers, so that the memory of your friends does not hinder you from being what you have become. Sometimes you need distance. Step away, disconnect, and look at your work from afar. That is how real breakthroughs happen.
10. Lead your life with a gentle hand and be ready to leave whenever you are called. A presentation, too, must know how to end with grace. Do not drag it on or close with a forced climax. Leave an echo, not noise.
A code for those who work with the invisible
Szilárd’s rules are not only about science. They speak of balance, ethics and responsibility toward what cannot be seen but still has an effect. Anyone who designs a presentation works in that same space: the space where an image can change a thought and a word can ignite an idea.
Every choice, even the smallest one, shifts the energy of those who listen. And in that act, invisible but real, lies the same responsibility as in physics: to create without destroying, to persuade without forcing, to show without distorting.
Structured exercise. The Map of the Invisible Code
Take a sheet of paper and draw three intersecting circles: Intention – Form – Effect.
Look at your presentation, slide by slide.
For each element, ask yourself: • Does it truly express the original intention? • Does its form, visual or verbal, serve the message? • Is the effect it produces aligned with what you meant to achieve?
Wherever the three circles do not overlap, there is a fracture. That is where the invisible code of coherence is lost.
I’m Angela. I help people and companies bring their ideas to life through storytelling and presentation design.
I don’t just design slides: I design meaning.
Every day, I work to shape messages not just to inform, but to move.
Because a presentation should never be just a sequence of slides; it should be a shared experience that engages the senses and creates lasting memories.
This post is part of my ongoing exploration of how we can rethink presentations: not as static tools, but as living experiences that connect with people on a deeper level.
If you’d like support designing presentations and stories that move people, feel free to reach out or explore my work.
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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