We all agree that truth is important in our professional communication. But sometimes it can be unclear what is and isn’t truthful.
We all agree that truth is important in our professional communication. But sometimes it can be unclear what is and isn’t truthful.
When I was a kid, I remember watching a commercial where a teenager was doing pull-ups… over and over… while casually having a conversation.
I remember thinking, “I can’t even do one like that.”
Of course, later I realized what was really happening.
It was trick photography.
Not fake—just edited. Controlled. Framed in a way that created a certain impression.
And it got me thinking…
We do the exact same thing with words.
When we communicate—whether in presentation skills coaching, business development conversations, or AEC interview preparation—we are constantly making choices:
That’s “trick photography”… just with language.
And it’s not inherently dishonest.
It’s inevitable.
I can tell the same story in multiple ways—and each version creates a completely different experience for you.
More detail might make it more precise.
Less detail might make it more emotional.
Different sequencing might make it more compelling.
So which one is true?
They all are.
But they serve different purposes.
This is where great communicators separate themselves.
Because not all “truth” is the same.
In our leadership presence coaching and executive presentation coaching, we often see people default to one version of truth:
Chronological accuracy.
“This happened, then this happened, then this happened…”
But that’s not always the most effective version of truth.
There are at least four different kinds of truth you might be trying to convey:
Exact sequence. Precise detail. What literally happened.
What it felt like. The emotional reality of the moment.
The lesson. The meaning behind the experience.
The version that helps someone understand why something matters.
Each one requires a different kind of storytelling.
In shortlist interview training and project interview preparation, teams often struggle because they try to tell the “perfectly accurate” story.
But accuracy alone doesn’t win work.
Connection does.
If your story doesn’t land with the audience…
If they don’t feel it…
If they don’t see themselves in it…
Then the truth you intended to communicate never actually arrives.
This is why group presentation coaching and AEC presentation skills focus so heavily on how you tell the story—not just what you say.
Just like film editing, you have a few key tools:
You choose which details to include.
You leave out what doesn’t serve the message.
You decide the order to create impact.
You may blend multiple experiences to illustrate a larger truth.
You may emphasize or slightly enhance elements so the audience can feel what you felt.
Used responsibly, these aren’t distortions.
They are clarifications.
Many professionals—especially in technical fields—hesitate here.
They worry:
But in business speaking and presentation coaching for professionals, the bigger question is:
“Did the audience actually experience what I meant?”
If the answer is no, then hyper-accuracy didn’t help.
This doesn’t mean anything goes.
It means you need to be intentional.
Ask yourself:
That’s where confident presence and leadership confidence training really come into play.
You’re not just reporting information.
You’re shaping an experience.
You don’t have time to tell the full, unedited version of reality.
No one does.
So you edit.
You select. You shape. You frame.
The key is doing it consciously.
Because when you understand the “trick photography” of words…
You gain the ability to communicate not just what happened—
but what it meant.
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