Communication Untangled is the podcast that explores the tiny facets of communication that influence our behaviour – but often go unnoticed.
I'm your host - Sue Keogh - Founder of Cambridge communications consultancy Sookio.
My whole career has been in marketing and communications, working closely with the BBC, ITV, AOL, Yahoo, GOV.UK, NHS and the University of Cambridge on strategic communications, content and campaigns.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the RSA, I'm certified by UCL, Durham University and Oxford Saïd Business School in behavioural science and marketing psychology. And whether it's been radio, print, TV or digital, I've always been fascinated by the small, subtle elements of communication which influence us in a big way.
It all started with a sausage...
Many years ago I'd been asked to write the copy for a new sausage-themed restaurant in Shoreditch, London...an absolute joy of a project, coming up with witty words for the website, signs and menus. Which got me looking at menus completely differently. I'd never...noticed them before. I mean I'd seen menus, plenty of times. But not really noticed them.
The typography, the paper, the layout, how this all comes together to shape our decisions over what to order. I tucked this idea away until 2024 when I had an opportunity to develop it into the podcast.
Naturally, Untangling Menus was an essential episode. And we Untangled Tickets, Colour, Signs, Instructions, Sound...uncovering the nuances of communication that shape our behaviour and influence our thinking, but which you wouldn't even notice unless someone pointed them out to you.
As a listener, you pick up fresh approaches you can apply to get across critical messages in your own marketing, business and brand. And get customers and clients to do the things you want them to do.
Quality production has always been as much a priority as good content, and we were delighted to become finalists in two categories at the Independent Podcast Awards 2025.
What to expect in series 3
We’re now zooming out to untangle different techniques, and within very different communications environments.
Across the six episodes, we’ll take you from the courtroom to the basketball court to emergency incidents where good communication among paramedics is critical in saving lives.
You’ll learn how the best practitioners in their field use communication techniques to motivate, negotiate, and navigate difficult topics – like death, like cancer, like defending criminal cases of fraud, corruption and cocaine trafficking rings. Sometimes it’s about using humour. Sometimes it’s about speaking plainly. A lot of the time, it’s about knowing when to say nothing at all.
Let's work together
- Visit sookio.com to explore our services, from communications strategy to training, consultancy and brand storytelling
- Get in touch to discuss a project direct
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Sign up for communications tips and inspiration
Communication Untangled is produced by Rob Birnie at Made By DBM