Can you tell two truths… as long as you don’t tell them together?
For years, I was told that a good presentation must be coherent. For years, I thought they were right.
A strong, clear, univocal message. Everything else? Just noise. But over time, I realised that reality, especially when we speak to an audience, is rarely that simple. There are nuances. Contradictions. Coexisting truths.
And right there, in that tension, something powerful can happen.
The Paradox Quantum Physics teaches us: Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
In the microscopic world of subatomic particles, logic breaks down. One of the most famous and counterintuitive ideas is Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, formulated in 1927.
According to this principle, we cannot precisely know two complementary properties of a particle, like its position and its speed (or momentum), at the same time. The more precisely we measure where it is, the less we can know where it’s going. And vice versa. This isn’t a technological limitation. It’s a fundamental law of reality.
🔍 Imagine trying to photograph a race car:
If you use a fast shutter speed, you get a sharp image of the car in a specific spot — you know the position, but not the speed.
If you use a slow shutter speed, you get a blur — you perceive how fast it’s moving, but not where it was exactly at a given moment.
In the quantum world, every attempt to measure one thing inevitably disturbs the other.
The same applies, as Niels Bohr, Heisenberg’s mentor, also explained, to more general concepts like wave and particle: two coexisting realities that cannot be observed simultaneously.
Two truths. Both real. But never accessible at the same moment.
It’s a conceptual revolution: reality may contain opposing aspects, but to truly know them, we must choose one lens at a time.
What if this also applied to presentations?
Every time we take the stage or open a slide deck, we face a similar challenge: to tell something that holds multiple layers. To surface nuance. To manage the tension between goals, messages and perceptions.
Then the classic advice shows up:
“Be clear. Simplify. Choose one thing to say.”
And so, we often cut away important parts. To avoid “confusion.” To avoid seeming weak or contradictory. To uphold that linear coherence we were taught to strive for.
But what if there was another way? A way to embrace two opposing truths, without putting them on the same plane, by managing the moment in which they are observed?
🎤 A Concrete Example
Let’s say you’re giving a presentation to an internal team. Your goal is to communicate:
On one hand, the excellent results achieved in recent months;
On the other hand, the need to change strategy is because the market is shifting.
Two truths. One reinforces. The other transforms. If you present them simultaneously, you risk resistance or confusion:
“If things are going well, why change?”
But if you construct your narrative sequentially, here’s what happens:
Opening: celebrate the results, share data, generate pride and confidence
Transition: introduce external context, weak signals, emerging trends
Turning point: show how current success might become a limit if you don’t evolve
Closing: open up the space for change, starting from what already works
In this way, the first truth prepares the ground for the second. And the second doesn’t negate, but it expands the first.
The point is not to choose. It’s to orchestrate.
In a strategic presentation or pitch, you can:
Start with what’s familiar and reassuring;
Gradually introduce what’s changing;
Open the door to a new perspective;
And only then, bring in the second truth.
With respect. With rhythm. With listening.
🧭 Practical exercise: Two truths in tension: What is vs What could be
✨ Inspired by Nancy Duarte’s “What is / What could be” framework, this exercise helps you design presentations that give space to two truths without creating confusion, but instead, guidance.
1. Split a sheet or slide into two columns. Label them:
Column A: What is (current, reassuring truth)
Column B: What Could Be (transformational, maybe uncomfortable truth)
2. Write three short, simple statements in each column that reflect your audience’s perspective. Example:
A → We’ve always done it this way / Our system works / Clients trust us
B → The market is changing / Needs are evolving / There’s room to innovate
3. Design your narrative flow by alternating the two truths. Think of the slides as frames in motion:
Start with A;
Introduce signals that A isn’t enough;
Bring in B;
Let B take the lead;
Show what happens when A and B meet.
4. Respect the uncertainty principle. Don’t reveal everything at once. Let the audience discover the second truth. Don’t layer it but lead them there.
💡 Applied Example
🧩 Presentation for a leading insurance company:
Truth A: “We are a benchmark for stability and reliability.”
Truth B: “But customers under 35 don’t see us as relevant.”
🧩 Narrative structure:
Slide 1–2: historical data and loyalty indicators;
Slide 3: market insight showing low engagement from younger demographics;
Slide 4: qualitative insight from interviews;
Slide 5: proposal for new tone of voice, touchpoints, service design;
Slide 6: “How can we innovate without losing what makes us solid?”.
🎯 In this way, you don’t have to sacrifice anything: you tell the whole truth without overwhelming. You choose the right time for each part. And you build presentations that are more honest, more powerful, more human.
🎬 In Conclusion
Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle teaches us something profound: not everything that’s true can be shown at the same time. But if we learn to pause, to build sequences instead of snapshots… Then we can tell the world as it really is: multifaceted, alive, and human.
And maybe that’s the kind of coherence we need today. One that doesn’t oversimplify, but that honours complexity without fear.
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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