Communication Untangled

About Communication Untangled

Communication Untangled The podcast that explores the many facets of communication that influence our behaviour – but often go unnoticed. From menu design to motorway typography and medical instructions, to different communications environments - courtroom, concert hall and emergency incidents - communications specialist Sue Keogh and guests share brilliant techniques to convey ideas, influence behaviour and get across critical messages in your marketing, business and brand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Sookio

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Apr 2024

Latest episode

18 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

18 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Oct 2026

   Untangling Arguments

   Leading criminal defence barrister Chris Daw KC tells host Sue Keogh how to construct a winning argument – and Conflict Resolution Lady Zodia Hall shares tips on stopping arguments before they even start. With work ranging from the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster trial and inquests, to defending high-profile sportspeople like John Terry and Ryan Giggs, to serious cases of fraud, corruption and a £500m cocaine trafficking ring, Chris Daw KC has an incredible track record in winning over judge and jury. Sue caught up with him as he was relaxing in his garden between cases to find out about his toolkit of persuasive communication techniques. He outlines the clues he looks out for in the jury which help him decide which words and phrases to use. How he seeks out the ‘corridor of uncertainty’ – then goes on the attack! And why Donald Trump, teenagers, and short, snappy political slogans are so effective in winning an argument. We take a short recess in the middle, and move from the court into the workplace. Zodia Hall, the Conflict Resolution Lady, explains how arguments rarely start where you think they start – and how you can use the EAR framework to resolve tension and rebuild trust. Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge you need untangling? Talk to us https://www.sookio.com/podcast (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) http://sookio.com/contact (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) Connect with Zodia Hall on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zodia-hall-the-conflict-resolution-lady-47809a76 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/zodia-hall-the-conflict-resolution-lady-47809a76 ) Visit Chris Daw KC’s website: https://www.chrisdawkc.com (https://www.chrisdawkc.com ) Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge that needs untangling? We can help, through communications strategy, marketing consultancy and brand storytelling. Start here: sookio.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   20 Sept 2026

   Untangling Leadership

   Lessons in leadership communication from orchestra conductor Robert Ziegler and business identity expert Majid Islam, with communications specialist and host Sue Keogh. When you’re leading an orchestra, how do you communicate with 80 incredibly talented musicians, all at once – when you’re the one person in the room who can’t make a noise? Conductor Robert Ziegler shares lessons in leadership communication from his incredible career leading orchestras around the world. Not just performing classics from Beethoven, Chopin and Holst, recording the soundtrack to computer game Genshin Impact, the live tour of David Attenborough’s Ocean, and the film score to Lord of the Rings. He’ll talk about the importance of eye contact, how to read the room when you have your back to the audience, and why the best conductors are like the CEO, presenting a compelling vision everyone can get behind. We’ll also hear from Majid Islam, from Alignment Cubed, who explains how you need to adapt your communication style according to the type of organisation you’re leading – is it a Giant Monster, Elite Team, Visionary Ecosystem, or Efficient Machine? Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge you need untangling? Talk to us https://www.sookio.com/podcast (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) http://sookio.com/contact (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) Robert Ziegler’s website: https://www.robertziegler.co.uk/ Alignment Cubed: http://www.alignmentcubed.com/ Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge that needs untangling? We can help, through communications strategy, marketing consultancy and brand storytelling. Start here: sookio.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   20 Sept 2026

   Untangling Emergency

   How do you communicate in high-pressure situations? East Anglian Air Ambulance paramedic Dr Brendan Fletcher explains. And Claire Percy, Head of External Affairs at Dublin Port, tells host Sue Keogh how to build an effective crisis comms plan. Dr Brendan Fletcher is an NHS Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridgeshire, and part of crew for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. They arrive on the scene of road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and other medical emergencies, offering critical care and airlifting patients in their eye-catching yellow helicopters to hospital, giving them the very best chance of survival. He explains how paramedics use body language to inject a sense of calm in panicky situations, and the communication techniques he uses in different scenarios, from talking to injured children, breaking bad news to loved ones, or dealing with the modern very phenomenon of bystanders getting their phones out and filming at the scene. His 90-second rule is very interesting too – and you’ll soon be applying it in business situations yourself. We take a break in the middle to hear from Claire Percy, Head of External Affairs at Dublin Port, a critical site of Ireland’s national infrastructure with 1.8million passengers and 165bn Euros worth of trade passing through each year. She tells us how to build a crisis communications plan so your organisation keeps control of the narrative if something goes wrong. Which…let’s be honest, it always will! Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge you need untangling? Talk to us https://www.sookio.com/podcast http://sookio.com/contact Please donate to the East Anglian Air Ambulance and support their incredible work: https://www.eaaa.org.uk Connect with Claire Percy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairepercy Visit the Dublin Port website: https://www.dublinport.ie Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge that needs untangling? We can help, through communications strategy, marketing consultancy and brand storytelling. Start here: sookio.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

4. 

   6 Sept 2026

   Untangling Humour

   Toby Freeman, Founder of The Robin Cancer Trust – and a man who runs marathons dressed as a 7ft high pair of testicles – joins communications specialist Sue Keogh to explain how the charity uses humour brilliantly to break the stigma and enable honest conversations about cancer. He outlines why it’s so important to make yourself the butt of the joke – not the people with the condition – and how charities can convert these moments of laughter into actual donations. He’s also got some great advice if you’re a business who wants to use humour in your marketing – but are holding back for fear of getting cancelled. We’re also joined by standup-comic-turned public speaking coach Jon Torrens, who’s got some very practical tips in using humour to win over your audience. Communication Untangled (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge you need untangling? Talk to us (http://sookio.com/contact). About Toby Freeman Toby Freeman is Founder & CEO of Robin Cancer Trust, the UK's only dedicated testicular, ovarian, and germ-cell cancer charity. He founded the charity in 2012 after losing his brother, Robin, to late-stage testicular cancer when he was just 24. Toby’s personal mission was simple: to prevent another family from going through what mine did. A men's health advocate and podcast host, he uses honesty, humour and purpose-led leadership to break stigma and create impact. These bold campaigns turn taboo topics into normal conversations – like his Big Ballsy Challenge, which saw him run the London Marathon in 2026 dressed as a 7ft high pair of testicles to attempt a Guinness World Record for “fastest man dressed as a body part” and raise vital funds to support every man diagnosed with testicular cancer in the UK. --- Donate to The Robin Cancer Trust (https://www.therobincancertrust.org/) Discover Toby’s Big Ballsy Challenge (https://www.therobincancertrust.org/bigballsychallenge) Visit Jon Torrens’ website (https://jontorrens.co.uk/) Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge that needs untangling? We can help, through communications strategy, marketing consultancy and brand storytelling. Start here: sookio.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

5. 

   6 Sept 2026

   Communication Untangled series 3 trailer

   What do you get when you cross a basketball coach, orchestra conductor and two funeral directors with a doctor, criminal defence barrister and a man dressed as a giant pair of testicles? Series 3 of Communication Untangled! The podcast which explores the tiny facets of communication which shape our behaviour – but often go unnoticed. And it’s all hosted by me, Sue Keogh. Founder of Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio (https://www.sookio.com/podcast), Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and behavioural science enthusiast. In my 3-decade career in comms, working for the BBC, ITV, GOV.UK and with clients like the NHS and the University of Cambridge, I’ve always been fascinated by those little elements of communication which influence us in a big way. And for this series, we’re shifting the focus to different communication environments and untangling the techniques you can use within them. In each episode I’ll be joined by a guest who’s a brilliant practitioner in their field, with a short blast of tips in the middle from a specialist….sharing secrets you can steal to help convey ideas more powerfully in your own marketing, business or brand. Click subscribe to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Communication Untangled (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge you need untangling? Talk to us (http://sookio.com/contact) Communication Untangled is a podcast from Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio. Got a knotty communication challenge that needs untangling? We can help, through communications strategy, marketing consultancy and brand storytelling. Start here: sookio.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   3 Jun 2025

   Untangling Sound

   Sound designer Sian Harris discusses with host Sue Keogh how audio significantly impacts emotional responses in gaming, covering topics like AI technology and the iconic Nokia ringtone in this interview.

7. 

   20 May 2025

   Untangling Recipes

   Chef and food writer Noor Murad joins Sue Keogh to Untangle Recipes. Part of Yottam Ottolenghi’s Test Kitchen team, she’s cooked trackside at Formula 1 and trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She explains how you how you test and proofread recipes, the difference in writing recipes in Arabic and English, and questions whether social media put us under too much pressure to make our food look glamorous. We also look at a different kind of recipe – the formulations for beauty products – and the challenge for iconic brands like Chanel in not giving away trade secrets. Sue Keogh: One of my early copywriting gigs when I first went freelance was to get hundreds of recipes from print – onto a new online portal. It had literally never occurred to me before that point, that there was a consistent structure in the way that recipes were written. You list the ingredients in order of use, putting the most important ones first…and any the salt and pepper and other seasoning goes at the end. It suddenly seemed so obvious! But I’d just never noticed. And the way a recipe is written affects how well we cook it too. So in this episode we’re going to untangle recipes and find out how it’s done. I’m joined by Noor Murad, who is part of Yottam Ottolenghi’s Test Kitchen team. Her recipe books include Shelf Love and Lugma – an ode to the food she grew up eating during her childhood in Bahrain. She’s cooked trackside at Formula 1, and trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She now lives in London, and invited me over to the very kitchen where she develops her delicious Middle Eastern recipes. She tells me how you test and proofread recipes, how social media puts us under too much pressure to make our food look glamorous, and the challenges of translating clotted cream into different languages. We’ll also think about a different kind of recipe – the formulations for beauty products – and the challenge for iconic brands like Chanel who have to list the ingredients by law – but not give away their trade secrets. About Noor Murad Bahrain-born, London-based and New York trained, Noor Murad joined the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen in 2018, where she worked as a recipe developer for Falastin and Flavor as well as Ottolenghi's New York Times and Guardian columns. She became the head of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, and wrote the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen books: Shelf Love and Extra Good Things. Her own recipes have featured in the New York Times and she has cooked on BBC's Saturday Kitchen. Her Middle Eastern roots have a strong influence on her cooking, with Arabic, Indian, and Persian flavours making a prominent appearance in her recipes. Useful links Follow Noor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noorishbynoor (https://www.instagram.com/noorishbynoor) Buy Noor’s book Lugma (which means ‘a bite’ in Arabic, yum! https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/466601/lugma-by-murad-noor/9781837832019 (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/466601/lugma-by-murad-noor/9781837832019) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   6 May 2025

   Untangling Tickets

   A ticket is way more than just a slip of paper that gets you into the gig, show, or football match. But with the move to QR codes, barcodes and digitisation, do they still feel special? In Untangling Tickets, designer Jules Akel draws on his extensive experience in designing beautiful tickets for Lord’s cricket and Wimbledon which helped build a sense of anticipation ahead of the day. Along the way we talk forgeries, buried treasure, and the power of wit in helping brands connect with the audience. And how does Disney take tickets to a whole other level, with their wearable technology – the MagicBand? A ticket is more than just a slip of paper. It’s something you gaze at longingly as you look forward to the event, and hold onto afterwards as a keepsake. It’s as much about anticipation – as the basics of gaining entry on the day. In this episode we’re going to Untangle Tickets, with designer Jules Akel. For 25 years he created beautiful tickets for Marylebone Cricket Club at Lords. And he has designed an abundance of materials for Wimbledon, Ascot, whiskey distilleries and music festivals. Of course, nowadays – we just flash a QR code or barcode stored on our phone, but as Jules explains, we can still design tickets so they feel special. Giving us a sense of joy and fun about the whole experience. Along the way we talk forgeries, buried treasure, and the power of wit in helping brands connect with the audience. We also break off to look at how Disney take tickets to a whole other level, with their wearable technology – the MagicBand. About Jules Akel Jules is a graduate of Preston Poly where he was taught about the primacy of the idea over decoration. Of course the art is important, but in the service of communication. He has enjoyed creating all manner of designs to help companies large and small to prosper. These companies have included Marylebone Cricket Club, Wimbledon Tennis Championships, Greenpeace, L’Oreal, Dalwhinnie Distillery, Marlborough College, Wellington College, Skibo Castle and others. Useful links Connect with Jules Akel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-akel-33028a13 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jules-akel-33028a13) Explore his design work https://www.akel.co.uk (https://www.akel.co.uk/) Buy his book, Cricket Tickets. It’s available from Christopher Saunders the publisher. https://www.cricket-books.com/search_results.php?typeofitem=&author=akel&title=&search=&anyallexact=all&submit=search&pricemin=&pricemax=&sortorder=creationdate&maxrows=30&advancedsearch=advancedsearch (https://www.cricket-books.com/search_results.php?typeofitem=&author=akel&title=&search=&anyallexact=all&submit=search&pricemin=&pricemax=&sortorder=creationdate&maxrows=30&advancedsearch=advancedsearch) And thank you to Christian Wolmar for kindly allowing us to use your front room to record! Listen to his podcast Calling All Stations: https://cogitamus.co.uk/calling-all-stations (https://cogitamus.co.uk/calling-all-stations) --- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

9. 

   22 Apr 2025

   Untangling Votes

   “Democracy is a design problem.” Whitney Quesenbery, Co-Founder of the Center for Civic Design in Washington, talks voting slips and the many factors that influence how we behave in the polling booth. We’ll talk hanging chads. Dogs in polling station! And we pop on a posh frock and prepare a tearful speech to take a look at the Oscars and how the Academy votes for the most sought-after awards in entertainment. You’re in the polling booth. Just you, the ballot paper and a pencil on a string. You’re hovering over the names as you decide where to put your cross. Can the design of this tiny slip of paper affect how you vote? Can you make sense of the information? Do you just go for the candidate at the top of the list? In this episode we’re going to explore a small-but-important part of democracy; the voting slip. Our guest is someone who cares deeply about the design of ballots. Whitney Quesenbery is the Co-Founder and Director of the Center for Civic Design (https://civicdesign.org/%22%20/t%20%22_blank%22%20/o%20%22https://civicdesign.org/) in Washington. She advises government organisations, non-profits and tech companies on best practice in election design. Their core principle is: ‘Democracy is a design problem’. Elections should work for everyone, and as she explains, design is a tool for building a better democracy where more people can take part. We’ll talk hanging chads. Dogs in polling stations! We’ll also look at the Oscars and how members of the Academy vote for the most sought-after awards in entertainment. Useful links Connect with Whitney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyq (https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneyq) Explore the Center for Civic Design: https://civicdesign.org/ (https://civicdesign.org/) https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-civic-design (https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-for-civic-design/) They have extensive resources that support good election design. --- Sookio podcast page: https://www.sookio.com/podcast (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) Produced by Rob Birnie at Made By DBM: https://madebydbm.com (https://madebydbm.com/) Links recorded at Cranes Nest podcast studio in Cambridge: https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/ (https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

10. 

    8 Apr 2025

    Untangling Instructions

    Lucy Sheldon and Clare Beddoes from Cambridge Design Partnership explain how to develop clear instructions for medical devices, and what Apple can teach us about making products so intuitive we don’t need instructions at all. And how do LEGO make instructions part of the act of play itself? When you walk into reception at Cambridge Design Partnership, you see lots of intriguing case studies on display – from heart catheters to smart pills to nasal swabs. As an innovation consultancy, it’s critical that people can actually use the medical devices they develop. Which is where clear instructions come in. Lucy Sheldon is a Human Factors Engineer, focusing on good interaction design – helping people be at one with the technology they’re using – not battling against it. Clare Beddoes heads up Drug Delivery, thinking about the needs of the patient and medical teams. She works closely with Lucy’s team to make sure the drugs can be used safely, minimising risk in a very risk averse sector. We talk about the importance of sound and visuals in helping people use devices properly – and how they consider the emotional state of the end user, whether it’s someone using an Epi-Pen in a panic - or nervously taking a pregnancy test in the bathroom. And we take a break in the middle for playtime! Looking at LEGO and instructions aren’t just functional, they’re all part of the fun too. Useful links Connect with our guests on LinkedIn Clare Beddoes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-beddoes-661b2913 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/clare-beddoes-661b2913/) Lucy Sheldon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucysheldon (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucysheldon) Cambridge Design Partnership: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-design-partnership (https://www.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-design-partnership) --- Sookio podcast page: https://www.sookio.com/podcast (https://www.sookio.com/podcast) Produced by Rob Birnie at Made By DBM: https://madebydbm.com (https://madebydbm.com/) Links recorded at Cranes Nest podcast studio in Cambridge: https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/ (https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

11. 

    25 Mar 2025

    Untangling Captions

    Hector Minto, Lead Accessibility Evangelist for Microsoft, joins communications specialist Sue Keogh to explain how AI is transforming the ability to create fast, accurate captions, and how to make your digital content more accessible and inclusive. Plus a trip to the Tate, and how the clarity of their artwork descriptions make everyone feel welcome in their galleries. Have you noticed how captions have become more commonplace nowadays. Influencers add text to their TikToks and Instagram reels so you can understand their content – even with the sound off. Or you might be in a Teams meeting and there will be live captions as it goes along – really helpful if you have issues with your hearing, or maybe English isn’t your first language…or you’re in a new job and just don’t know what everyone’s talking about! My guest in this episode is Hector Minto, and he’s the Lead Accessibility Evangelist at Microsoft. He’s spent his career focusing on accessibility, assistive technology, and disability issues. The day we met he was giving a talk on digital inclusion at a Lloyds Bank event – so we ducked off into a side room, where he told me about how AI is transforming the ability to create fast, accurate captions and the difference this is making so people don’t get left behind in an ever-more digital society. He also shares some brilliant tips on alt text, captions and tools to make your content more accessible and inclusive. Along the way, we’ll take a moment to think about Tate galleries– and how the clarity of the artwork descriptions and the font itself help break down barriers and make everyone feel welcome. Show notes About Hector Minto Hector is a dedicated leader in accessibility and leads Microsoft customer and partner engagement strategy for accessibility, growing awareness of assistive technology inside the largest employers across all geographies. He has worked in the field of Assistive Technology (AT) and accessibility for over 25 years, working with both established and emerging technologies, maximising their effectiveness across the wide range of people with physical, learning and sensory disabilities. Hector is the current UK Government Disability and Access Ambassador for the Technology and Website sectors. He actively contributes to government consultations on disability inclusion and promotes inclusive design, product accessibility, inclusive hiring practices, and accessibility innovation. His dedication to accessibility and his influential advocacy for disability rights have made him a visionary leader in the industry. His work continues to inspire and shape the future of inclusive technology. Useful links Connect on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/hectorminto/) Accessibility at work | LinkedIn Learning (https://www.linkedin.com/learning/digital-accessibility-for-the-modern-workplace/accessibility-at-work) Accessibility 101 | YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtSVUgxIo6KqzQV1ktaMji4Nxjmju8wGS) Enterprise Disability Answer Desk (mailto:edad@microsoft.com?subject=Accessibility) And thank you to Rob Birnie for production: https://madebydbm.com/ Patrick Holgado for marketing support The Cranes Nest podcast studio in Cambridge: https://www.thecranenest.co.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

12. 

    12 Jun 2024

    Untangling Signs

    How do we tell people where to go? Author and transport expert Mark Ovenden joins us to talk about legends of design Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir and the critical role they played in the signage we see on motorways and airports today. You’ll find out how patterns in the tiles on the London Underground were designed to help people with low literacy head in the right direction. We also take a break in the middle to find out why Sydney leads the world in wayfinding for people who are blind and visually impaired. Oh, and look out for a woolly mammoth and a cow named Patience. Picture yourself, walking hastily through a hospital in a town you’ve never been to before, anxious and worried, trying to find the ward where your loved one is being treated. Or it’s the middle of the night, your hotel is being evacuated, you’re half asleep, and it’s only because of the green lit symbols that you know which direction to run to get to safety. At the centre of these critical moments in our lives are signs. And I think we have a strangely intimate connection with them. Our minds are on much bigger, more urgent things, but it’s these signs that we are completely dependent on, even if just for a few seconds. My guest on this episode is broadcaster Mark Ovenden, specialist in graphic design, cartography and architecture in public transport. He’s the author of some brilliant books including London Underground by Design, Transit Maps of the World, and 50 Iconic Metro Maps. He’s a mine of information on this subject. Show notes Find out about the City of Sydney’s wayfinding and signage for blind and visually impaired people here (https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/public-health-safety-programs/wayfinding-and-signage ). About Mark Ovenden Mark Ovenden is an author, broadcaster and lecturer whose book sales on cartography and design are approaching a quarter of a million. His 2017 one-hour TV documentary (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0903ppd) on typefaces for BBC4 was watched by 400,000. Mark brings “joyful insight and accessibility” to what might appear as technical subjects. Mark's infectious enthusiasm “enthrals audiences” in broadcasts, podcasts or lectures. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society with a social media following. Born and brought up in London, Mark lived and worked in France and the USA. Before returning to his love of cartography in the early noughties, he worked as a presenter and producer for the BBC and commercial radio stations. As a kid, he built miniature TV studios out of Lego, set up a home radio station, collected old maps and explored abandoned train lines. Mark became a newsreader/presenter for Manchester’s Kiss102 in 1994; joined Radio 1 in 1998; became a music programmer for MTV in 1999; then a producer at Atlantic252. In 2000, Mark moved to Ministry Of Sound Radio, then went back to TV. The books came next: Metro Maps of The World, London Underground by Design, Transit Maps of The World, Metrolink: The First 25 Years, a guide to London Underground architecture and Metro Maps of the World. He fronted a documentary for Radio 4 in 2018 and produced a book on Airline Maps, followed by one about Underground Cities and a guide to Paris Metro Architecture. More programmes, lectures and books are in the pipeline. Connect with Mark at markovenden.com (markovenden.com) @markovenden on X @mark_ovenden on YouTube @markonthemaps on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

13. 

    29 May 2024

    Untangling Reviews

    Why do the thoughts of complete strangers have so much influence over our buying decisions? Trustist Founder Nigel Apperley explains the power of good reviews in your business, how to seek out ‘moments of delight’, and why a 4.7 rating is the sweet spot when choosing a restaurant. Plus! How Ryanair mocks customers for their bad reviews – and still makes more sales. In this episode we meet Trustist founder Nigel Apperley. He has two decades of ecommerce expertise, at places like Slendertone and Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton. It was when he was Director of Ecommerce at Kwik-Fit that he really started to see a link between customer reviews and sales. So he ran an experiment. He gathered up Google reviews, and showed them on the website and on screens in stores. And saw an average increase in revenue of over 50%. Bit of a lightbulb moment! So in 2014 he set up Trustist, a customer review platform which pulls together reviews from lots of different sources to give you stars in Google search results. Which leads to more clicks – and more sales! Listen to our conversation and discover: The power of ‘moments of delight’ and ‘review gating’ The right time to ask for a review? Why a 4.7-star rating better than 5 out of 5 The impact of reviews on your conversion rate (and how to deal with bad ones) The right question to ask for the most positive and useful response Show notes Read more about Nigel and the story of Trustist: https://trustist.com/about/ (https://trustist.com/about/) Find out how you can use Trustist to get more stars in Google search results, drive traffic, reach more customers, and streamline how you display positive reviews of your business. Book a demo: https://trustist.org/ChrisConsultation (https://trustist.org/ChrisConsultation) See pics from the Ryanair we refer to and see Martha in her pink flamingo! https://www.theinspiration.com/2023/09/ryanair-being-ryanair/ (https://www.theinspiration.com/2023/09/ryanair-being-ryanair/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

14. 

    15 May 2024

    Untangling Colour

    Nathalie Nahai, behavioural psychologist and author of the book Webs of Influence, explains how colour shapes our decisions and affects our buying behaviour. And what it is about red that makes it the winning colour? In this episode we’re talking colour psychology and how you can apply these techniques to your own website and branding. You’ll learn about: The colours which imply trust, calmness and wealth Which combinations make us see danger How different generations and cultures respond differently to colour – and how global influences throw all this out of the window And why our brains process a black and white caricature of Celine Dion more quickly than a colour photo. We will also be taking a break in the middle to explore why red is statistically shown to be a colour for winners – great news for Manchester United fans, but not so much for Chelsea… Show notes Visit Nathalie Nahai’s website ([https://www.nathalienahai.com/) where you can buy her books, listen to her podcast and discover useful resources. About Nathalie Nahai Nathalie’s background in human behaviour, web design and the arts offer a unique vantage point from which to examine the complex challenges we face today. Her best-selling book: Webs Of Influence: The Psychology of Online Persuasion has been adopted as the go-to manual by business leaders and universities alike, and her new book, Business Unusual: Values, Uncertainty and the Psychology of Brand Resilience, has been described as “One of the defining business books of our times”. A popular speaker, consultant and facilitator to Fortune 500 companies, Nathalie also serves as a behavioural science advisor and helps organisations to ethically apply behavioural science principles to enhance their business. Having lectured at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, Nathalie's ability to ignite conversation and offer tools and strategies with which to harness human potential, has helped countless organisations transform how they approach business online, with clients including Google, Accenture, Unilever and Harvard Business Review, among others. Having co-hosted the Guardian Tech Weekly, Nathalie now hosts the popular podcast, Nathalie Nahai In Conversation, which explores our relationship with one another, with technology, and with the natural world. She is also the founder of Flourishing Futures Salon (https://www.ffsalons.com/), a project that offers curated gastronomical gatherings that explore how we can thrive in times of turbulence and change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

15. 

    1 May 2024

    Untangling Forms

    Iain Boyd and Adam Robertson from GOV.UK Forms at the Government Digital Service join us to share best practice in designing online forms to capture information efficiently and ethically. Plus, discover the dark patterns on the web which set out to trick us into doing things we never set out to do. Online forms. They’re either so intuitive you hardly notice you’ve filled them in. Or they take so long to complete that you just lose the will to live. Or maybe you’re the one creating the form and trying to gather the information. People just don’t fill them in properly! How can you work with data that’s incomplete? An organisation dealing with this issue on a massive scale is Government Digital Service, who are behind GOV.UK, the website for the UK Government. More than 13m people use GOV.UK weekly, and more than 1bn transactions are completed a year – things like filing a tax return or renewing your passport. GDS are introducing their new Forms Builder to make Government forms more accessible. Our two guests on this episode are both from GOV.UK Forms at Government Digital Service. They share best practice in designing online forms so that not only do more people fill them in – but you get accurate data too: Adam Robertson, Senior Product Manager Iain Boyd, Engagement Lead at GOV.UK at the UK Government Digital Service and Iain Boyd from GDS And in complete contrast to this ethical, transparent approach, you’ll find out about dark patterns on the web, and why Amazon, Google, Meta and the makers of Fortnite are being fined millions of dollars for tricking users into doing things they simply never set out to do. And who’s clamping down on nudges and sludges, biased framing and confirmshaming once and for all? Show notes GOV.UK Forms builder tool (https://www.forms.service.gov.uk/): “Create an accessible online form in minutes without needing technical knowledge” Government Digital Service service manual (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual). Accessibility, measurement, research, good design practice…it’s all in here! GDS blog: How we’re opening up access to GOV.UK forms (https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2023/10/03/how-were-opening-up-access-to-gov-uk-forms/) GDS blog: Making it easy to create and publish digital forms on GOV.UK (https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2022/10/06/making-it-easy-to-create-and-publish-digital-forms-on-gov-uk/) About dark patterns Visit Harry Brignull’s website, Deceptive Patterns (https://www.deceptive.design/) for a full description of the term and some pretty horrifying examples in the Hall of Shame (https://www.deceptive.design/hall-of-shame)! The autofill dark pattern (https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/10/autofill-dark-pattern/) UK regulators target dark patterns (https://www.insideprivacy.com/dark-patterns/uk-regulators-target-dark-patterns/) National Law Review: FTC report shows increase in dark patterns (https://natlawreview.com/article/recent-ftc-report-shows-increase-dark-patterns) ICO and CMA clamp down on dark patterns in the UK (https://www.osborneclarke.com/insights/ico-and-cma-clamp-down-dark-patterns-uk) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

16. 

    17 Apr 2024

    Untangling Menus

    Sean Willard from The Menu Engineers joins communications specialist Sue Keogh to talk about menu design. What big shifts are we seeing in this post-pandemic era? How do the fonts, colours and material they’re printed on affect our choices? And why should every restaurant offer something that lets you blow the budget? Plus! How does Netflix use idleness aversion in their menu to keep us endlessly scrolling through? No one understands more about the psychology of designing a menu than Sean Willard from The Menu Engineers. He’s got over two decades in the restaurant trade. Starting out in a steakhouse at 18, he went on to study at Cornell’s prestigious Hotel School under the tutelage of Gregg Rapp, who laid the foundations for the techniques The Menu Engineers use today to optimise menus. We talk about the huge shifts in menu design in this post-pandemic era. How the fonts, colours and material they’re printed on affect our choices. And why every restaurant should have an item on the menu that lets you really blow the budget. Along the way, we’ll look at how entertainment giant Netflix uses idleness aversion tactics in its menu design to help us pick what we want to watch out of thousands of titles. About Sean Willard Sean Willard is a seasoned Menu Engineer dedicated to assisting restaurateurs and hospitality operators worldwide in the creation of optimised menus. His approach melds the precision of science, the finesse of art, the insights of data, and a wealth of industry experience to empower restaurateurs in crafting menus that not only bolster profitability but also elevate the overall guest dining experience. With a distinguished academic background from Cornell’s prestigious Hotel School and an extensive tenure within the restaurant industry spanning over two decades, Sean brings a wealth of knowledge and practical expertise to the realm of Menu Engineering. His journey into this specialised field was cultivated under the mentorship of the late Gregg Rapp, a luminary in the discipline who laid the foundations for many of the methodologies and principles still revered today. Get in touch with Sean via menuEngineers.com (https://www.menuengineers.com/), on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/menuengineers) or LinkedIn (https://sookioltd.sharepoint.com/Shared%20Documents/Marketing/Podcast/Episodes/2%20Untangling%20menus%20-%20Sean%20Willard/Episode%20assets/linked.com/in/menuengineers). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

17. 

    3 Apr 2024

    Untangling Brand

    Designer Harry Pearce from Pentagram joins communications specialist Sue Keogh to talk about the visual identities he’s developed for V&A South Kensington, Liberty and Moth drinks – and why brand guidelines are critical in keeping everything beautifully consistent across print, packaging and digital formats. We also take a look at NASA, and how their Graphic Standards Manual shows the brand evolution from a meatball...to a worm. If you walk through the British supermarket Waitrose or a major department store like John Lewis or Liberty London…Or if you visit a world-class gallery like the V&A South Kensington….or pour yourself a cocktail from Moth drinks in its beautifully textured tin...you'll see Harry Pearce's work. He's a graphic designer from celebrated design studio Pentagram, a collective of partners worldwide, formed in 1972, who are behind the brand identities for names you might just recognise – like Channel 4, Pink Floyd Records, Reddit, Natural History Museum, Rolls Royce…it just goes on and on! You'll see beautiful examples on the portfolio pages on their website, along with the brand guidelines that underpin all this striking work and hearing Harry explain how he developed the visual language for Liberty’s new line of gender neutral fragrances LBTY. And in this episode you'll find out why brand guidelines exist, why they're important, or what the damage can be if we don't stick to them! We'll also take a look at NASA and how their brand has moved from a meatball...to a worm. And the guidelines that helps everyone get it right! Show notes Harry works alongside so many creative geniuses on these projects, including designer and Pentagram partner Marina Willer (https://www.pentagram.com/about/marina-willer), who created the Young V&A identity work. Writers on the overall V&A project were Naresh Ramchandani and Ashley Johnson. Creative Review article on the new V&A Museum branding and visual identity (https://www.creativereview.co.uk/new-va-museum-branding-identity/) Pentagram case study: Liberty LBTY (https://sookioltd.sharepoint.com/Shared%20Documents/Marketing/Podcast/Episodes/1%20Untangling%20brand%20-%20Harry%20Pearce/Episode%20assets/%E2%80%A2%09https:/www.pentagram.com/work/lbty-liberty-beauty) Pentagram case study: V&A South Kensington (https://www.pentagram.com/work/v-and-a-south-kensington/story) Harry’s bio (https://www.pentagram.com/about/harry-pearce) on Pentagram NASA Graphics Standards Manual (https://standardsmanual.com/products/nasa-graphics-standards-manual) from 1975 NASA Brand Center (https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/) NASA Brand Guidelines (https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-brand-center/brand-guidelines/) 2024 About Harry Pearce Having studied at Canterbury College of Art, Harry co-founded and ran Lippa Pearce Design before becoming a Pentagram Partner in 2006. He has devised identities, installations, posters, packaging, books for; Liberty, Thames & Hudson, Guggenheim, Royal Academy of Arts, Phaidon Press, Pink Floyd, Shakespeare’s Globe, PEN International, and the UN. Since 1993 he has been an active member of the advisory board for WITNESS. Books; Typographic Conundrums and Eating with the Eyes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

18. 

    2 Apr 2024

    Communication Untangled series trailer

    Communication Untangled is the podcast which explores the tiny facets of communication which influence our behaviour – but often go unnoticed. Host Sue Keogh has been fascinated with communications her whole career. From her time crafting content with the BBC, ITV, Yahoo, AOL, and GOV.UK….to running a marketing agency in Cambridge for over 15 years…she's worked across print, digital, radio, video, social media….and she's seen how – so many times – it’s actually the minutiae of communications that shapes the way we think and behave. In this series you’ll learn about the psychology of menu design. How rival designers tested motorway typography in the 1950s, at speed. The powerful impact of online reviews on your bottom line. Why we process black and white images faster than colour. The dark patterns at play on the websites you visit every day. And which brand guidelines feature a worm and a meatball… Each time, she'll be joined by a guest who’s an expert in their field to help me untangle communication – and discover the subtle changes you can make to convey your ideas more powerfully in your marketing, business or brand. Click subscribe to make sure you don’t miss an episode. Production: Rob Birnie at Made By DBM (https://madebydbm.com/podcasts/) Host and series : Sue Keogh, Sookio (https://www.sookio.com/) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

572

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 28 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

6

Social presence

0

YouTube

66

Engagement

60

Contact Communication Untangled

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.