Humans are Onions in Disguise

To persuade, empathize from the inside out.

When you first meet an onion, its papery skin conceals the layers inside. Like onions, there are many layers between the skin we present to the world and our core. Our inner selves quietly harbor hopes and fears that we don’t express or acknowledge—sometimes even to ourselves. 

In business, we onions meet skin to skin, our inner layers invisible to the world. We’re polished, top-shelf produce: smart, logical, fact-driven professionals. Top-shelf businesspeople work hard to advance their cause through carefully crafted business cases and fancy presentations.

Despite their efforts, they often fail and are left wondering why. 

Benjamin Franklin provided the answer in 1734 when he wrote, “Would you persuade, speak of interest, not reason.”  This language may feel dated, but his message remains fresh: to persuade others, convey their benefits, not just the rationale. Franklin’s insightful maxim is confirmed by research : whether we realize it or not, our inner onion feelings strongly shape decisions. 

When planning a pitch, here are three steps you can take to harness Benjamin Franklin’s wisdom:

  1. Target the right onions
  2. Empathize with their inner layers
  3. Offer rewards that outweigh their risks

1. Target the Right Onions
What realistic, actionable outcome can you expect from your pitch? Knowing that, who specifically in your audience, can make that happen? Focus your mind and your efforts on them. In a recent pitch to a team of twelve executives, the key decision-maker was the division head whose strategic sounding board was the head of Human Resources. We targeted two onions in a bag of a dozen. 

2. Empathize with their Inner Layers
In the context of your pitch, what are their personal fears? Imagine you’re pitching for a major capital investment within a large company. The polished outer skins at the table criticize the timeline and cost. You’re told to come back with a plan to achieve the result faster, on a smaller budget. 

If you could peel back a few onion layers, you might feel their private concerns. Perhaps they perceive aspects of your proposal as risks to their status, career, or bonus. Those silent, hidden fears underlie their rejection. Will returning with a shorter timeline and a smaller budget allay their fears? Probably not: they’ll remain hidden beneath another skin-level rejection. 

3. Offer Rewards that Outweigh their Risks
Doctor Franklin advised us to “speak of interest,” meaning their interest: subtly show what’s in it for them, personally. In the emotional currency of decision-making, their perceived rewards must outweigh perceived risks. Can you show them that those risks aren’t as great as they fear? Are there personal benefits that they hadn’t appreciated—including avoiding some greater pain? 

If the rewards are unlikely to tip the scale in your favor, maybe you need to adjust your request. It doesn’t matter how nicely you ask if you’re asking for too much! 

In business, as in life, people act in their own interests. It’s not enough to have a solid business case or great data—that surface-level approach misses the powerful role of emotions in decision-making. To get action, align business interests with personal interests. To identify those personal interests, empathetically explore the inner layers of your target onions!

1.  1734 Poor Richard’s Almanack

2.  Eduardo B. Andrade and Dan Ariely, “The enduring impact of transient emotions on decision making,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Volume 109, Issue 1, May 2009, pp1-8

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