Just like membership, which has its ebbs and flows, so it is with education in our Lodge rooms.
In my time as a Freemason I've seen Lodge meetings go from purely business, to nearly all education, and back again. Many Lodges do manage to find a happy balance between the two, which is great as education is an important part of our Fraternity. That said, many Lodges seem to feel that you can only cover esoteric topics when it comes to education, which is far from the truth.
Many years ago I had the pleasure of watching a member of my Lodge give a short talk about a trip he had taken recently. He had visited Gettysburg, PA and as he was a Mason took the time to visit the Friend to Friend Memorial. During that short 10-15 minute talk he shed light on not just that memorial but also some pieces of trivia and notable things he had learned while there, not all Masonic. Everyone enjoyed the talk, as many had never had a chance to visit Gettysburg, or were aware of this particular memorial. I was extremely pleased as I was Master of the Lodge at the time pushing to get more education in our Lodge room, this Brother had never presented in Lodge before (outside of ritual), and he was my father.
The big takeaway here is that while of interest to the Brothers in the room, it wasn't esoteric. There are many Brothers who like to delve deep into the meanings of our ritual and the symbols we use, but not all. When a Lodge decides to start building an education program, that needs to be taken into account.
We're also not limited to topics related to the Fraternity.
Does a Brother have a hobby or passion? Let him speak to those as well. Is there anything saying you can't have a short program on public speaking? Maybe, have discussion about social media and how it impacts Freemasonry. You could have a few Brothers give feedback on books they've recently read, or even better, have a couple read the same book and give views on it. Reach out for a guest speaker, a local expert on a topic, like conservation, or money management, to come in and speak (careful here, you want education, not a sales pitch). The options are endless and could potentially open up other Brothers to share their own expertise or offer to help recruit speakers.
Your education program can encompass many things and should. We always talk about taking good men and making them better, however we only use a small subset of the knowledge in our Lodge rooms. A Worshipful Master would be wise to expand the base of information he can have presented, as it might just cause a few of our missing Brethren to return and make meeting a bit more enjoyable for all.
Remember, we're taught to embrace all learning and the entire tree of knowledge, not just one small branch.
I think you are 100% correct.
An educational program, over time, must be of interest to everyone.
We do, in my Jurisdiction have a handful of specialized Lodges in which all members share a similar interest, but the vast majority of our Lodges have a very diverse mix of members.
Some are interested in esoteric topics, some are not. What one person might find to be very cool, another will find dry as dirt.
For that reason we have to keep our educational programs diverse. So that we are meeting the needs and desires of all our Masons. As you say, by asking diverse Brothers to give presentations, we are ensuring that all perspectives are represented.