[mikeleeorg]

This made me think of a presentation I recently gave. The first version of my talk was packed full of information that was relevant to my audience. Some advisors encouraged me to reduce the content and increase the emotional appeal. In the end, my presentation contained 25% content and 75% rhetoric designed to make an emotional connection.

And they were totally right. The audience loved it.

(Arguably, the information I originally packed into it would have been overwhelming to this audience.)

In contrast, I heard a talk from pg. It was 100% content. And I loved it.

I think it ultimately depends on the audience. Most people probably unconsciously prefer an emotional connection to a talk, though there are exceptions. Some of the most lauded talks on TED make a strong emotional connection while still imparting some important information, though it's arguably more emotion than content.

And come to think of it, had I gotten pg's talk in written form, I would have gotten just as much out of it.