What’s worse than a fun speech that lacks substance? A profound speech that lacks fun.
The fun part might at least get some people to look things up in the aftermath of the event. A boring speech just fades away.
I’ve met quite a number of brilliant people who were deeply frustrated by this, but let’s say it clearly: deep-thought that’s boring hardly changes anything.
Change can only happen when people take notice. If it’s boring they won’t take notice.
If you want them to take notice you’ll need to make it fun.
The big misconception is that both would be mutually exclusive. Which, of course, they are not. Great speeches are profound and fun.
Of course, I’m using “fun” in a more general sense here, as a placeholder that might need to be replaced by other attributes such as “engaging” or “though-provoking” depending on the topic.
By definition, that’s possible for any topic that matters. Because if it matters it has an impact on our lives. And if it has an impact on our lives, it can’t be inherently boring.