The onion explained

“You’re so wrapped up in layers onion boy”. © Shrek by DreamWorks, image licensed under Alamy.

The Cogent Content crew have a soft spot for lots of different stuff. We’re curious, and we like asking questions. We’re also fond of catchphrases and quotes. Given that we are all avid readers and moviegoers, we’re a positive gold mine of one-liners. Sometimes they can be handy when it comes to explaining a tricky concept.  Here’s an example.

Most people will be familiar with the loveable ogre, Shrek, who first appeared on our screens twenty years ago with the release of the eponymous full-length animated feature film by the DreamWorks studio.

Early in the picture, Shrek (Mike Myers) encounters his soon to be sidekick Donkey (Eddy Murphy) in a swamp. Shrek is eating a raw onion. This prompts a lively exchange about the merits of onions culminating in a philosophical statement by Shrek in which he muses, “Ogres are like onions”.

In that cinematic moment, the seed of the Cogent Content brand proposition was sown.

Basic communication theory embraces a concept known as social penetration. First described by the psychologists Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, who worked at the US Naval Medical Research Centre in Silver Spring, Maryland, the concept describes how relationships move from superficial to something more meaningful and productive. It’s a bit like the bonding process between Shrek and Donkey but with a lot less drama and comedy on the journey.

Productive relationships, both personal and business, can be achieved by carefully yet intentionally revealing information about yourself, your organisation, or your work. Self-disclosure sits at the core of relationship building. It can open the door to a wide range of opportunities because it’s a powerful way of triggering the release of information by others. This process of unified or mutual self-disclosure is integral to the building of successful long-term relationships. Altman and Taylor likened the process to the peeling away of the layers of an onion – which is what Shrek was alluding to in his testy exchange with Donkey.

Cogent Content uses the onion model to understand and describe the relationship between the ideas and concepts that underpin a message. The skin and the outer layers add size and complexity to what lies beneath. By peeling away the layers, choices, values, and fundamental beliefs become better understood, and the message is easier to formulate. We find a story. We help businesses and individuals tell that story and show their audience why that story matters.

You’ll find regular references to the onion in Cogent Content’s approach. A conversation with our team takes you on a journey from the conscious to the subconscious. We peel away the layers until we get to your core beliefs. The journey looks like this.

You may be forgiven for thinking that this stuff is a bit head shrinking. We used to think like that too.  So did Donkey. Shrek fans will recall a scene towards the end of the movie where Donkey, having gallantly assisted with the princess's rescue, is now laying claim to half of Shrek’s swamp.  Shrek is having none of it, prompting Donkey to yell: “OH! You’re so wrapped up in layers onion boy, you’re afraid of your own feelings”.

In one respect, Donkey was right. Human beings – and it seems ogres too – are often anxious about what they don’t know. This applies to meeting with strangers or when we found ourselves in an unusual environment. The first step on the journey to overcoming this fear is to ‘know thyself’ and how your personal values and beliefs overlap with those of your organisation, project team, club or social group. Here’s a quick exercise that can help.

Write down five words that describe your personal self and five words that describe your professional self. Share and compare the results with a trusted friend or colleague. Then go a step further and ask yourself how that mutually trusting relationship came about? 

You’ll likely find that it took some effort on the part of you both. That’s how you discovered that you shared similar preferences, values, and beliefs. In business and in life in general, these are the foundations upon which productive relationships begin.

It’s time to peel away that first layer; Cogent Content can help.

References:

 1. Altman, I., & Taylor, D. (1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York, NY: Holt.