
Sketchplanations - The Podcast
Big Ideas explored through Little Pictures. It's certainly not a self-help podcast, but you might take something away that helps you notice or even enjoy the world around you a little more.Explaining the world, one sketch at a time. This is an explainer podcast for the curious-minded. Topics covered include science, behavioural economics, wellbeing, nature, psychology frameworks, business models, cognitive biases, and even domestic life-hacks. A podcast to accompany the popular series of simple explanations of stuff through a weekly sketch at sketchplanations.com.Sketchplanations illustrator and author Jono Hey joins lifelong friends Tom Pellereau (2011 Apprentice Winner) and Rob Bell (Engineer & Broadcaster) to share ideas and stories catalysed by each week's sketch. The 3 of us have been friends for over 20 years and have always enjoyed delving into all sorts of conversation topics - usually with some silliness along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes

Feb 8, 2024 • 46min
The Law of Diminishing Returns
Are you a perfectionist?Do you identify as someone who regularly spends too much time on various projects or endeavours for the quality of output required?Yeah - you're not alone.This week we discuss the Law of Diminishing Returns and explore how prevalent it is across all our lives: professionally, academically, socially - it's everywhere.We try to identify various ways to know when enough is enough. But it's not always easy. You can find the headline sketch here. Other sketches referenced in this episode include:In Tandem5 User Tests find 85% of problemsFor want of a nailAdditionally, we reference the inspiration for Jono's sketch itself from this absolute favourite sketch of mine about Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth from the masterful comedy team Big Train.Go on. Lose yourself for 10 minutes!We'd love to know your thoughts or experiences with The Law of Diminishing Returns.email us: hello@sketchplanations.comalternatively, you can find all three of us on Social Media here too: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.Find many more sketches at Sketchplanations.comAll Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 1, 2024 • 50min
Smart Little People
Wouldn't it be cool if we had an army of tiny people working together to help us get through the day?It might surprise you to know that Designers and Problem Solvers sometimes imagine this exact scenario to help them overcome creative challenges."Smart Little People" is one of a number of tools from a design framework called TRIZ.In this episode, we talk about what TRIZ involves, and how Smart Little People have helped Jono, Tommy and others produce products and services in our every day lives.Find the Smart Little People sketch here.See Jono's other sketches related to TRIZ tools here.What problems would you employ Smart Little People to help you figure out? Let us know at hello@sketchplanations.com or by leaving us comments on social media.All Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 25, 2024 • 60min
On The Road Compilation of Sketches
Why do we no longer get many bugs stuck to our windscreens? Why do police sirens sound different depending on whether they're approaching or moving away from us? And what is the car horn's intended purpose?Find the answer to all these questions and more in this compilation episode about cars, driving and life on the road.Find all the sketches referenced here:Passing on an inside BendMarchetti's ConstantExhaust IdlingThe Doppler EffectThe PistonThe Windscreen PhenomenonTiredness Can KillUse of the Car HornHuman senses and paceWe also referenced a BBC video demonstrating The Doppler Effect with a trombone on a train.Let us know your thoughts on all these topics by emailing us: hello@sketchplanations.comOr leave us a comment or a message on Social Media.Extended version of the podcast now available to watch here on YouTube.All music on the podcast series kindly provided by Franc Cinelli. Find all his music, gigs and more here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 18, 2024 • 58min
The 4 Pillars of Too Much
Much of something can be great.Too much can be a real burden.This week we talk about the 4 Pillars of Too Much - as explored by simplicity parenting, and it doesn't take us long to reveal that all 3 of us feel like we suffer from too much stuff, too much choice, too much information and things happening around us too fast.Is this the modern world we live in? Or a world we've created ourselves?We try to offer up some strategies to try and cope with and manage these excesses, but are also the first to admit how difficult we find it to make changes. That said, I'm off to charity shop now to offload some books I've already read, or know I'll never read.We'd love to hear from you with your thoughts on, experiences with and strategies to manage The 4 Pillars of Too Much.Email us: hello@sketchplanations.comOr leave us a comment or a message on Social Media.Extended version of the podcast now available to watch here on YouTube.The artwork for this episode should be displaying the sketch under examination. If not, you can find it here.Other connected sketches discussed include:The Laws of ExpansionThe Paradox of ChoiceA Good Teacher is like a DJ for LearningWhen Drinking Tea, Just Drink TeaMean World SyndromeAll music on the podcast series kindly provided by Franc Cinelli. Find all his music, gigs and more here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 11, 2024 • 38min
Dunbar's Number
Biological anthropologist Robin Dunbar's research on meaningful relationships suggests that our brains can handle around 150 people. The podcast explores how this applies to social networks, the impact of social media, and its relevance in business and personal interactions. The hosts also discuss their experiences working in hospitality, the concept of favorites, team sizes, and cultural perspectives on Dunbar's Number.

Aug 17, 2023 • 41min
The Peak-End Rule
When it comes to holidays, or nights out, or relationships even; it can often be the peak moments of emotional intensity and the very end of an experience that we filter in our memories to form our lasting impressions. It's called The Peak-End Rule. And guess what - Jono's done a sketch on it. The experience or event that we remember through the Peak-End filter can be short or long, it can be good or bad. Our brains are very good at dropping a lot of the detail and focussing on Peaks and Ends. You can see Jono's sketch on it here. Can you think of times in your life where your memory might be affected by this? Let us know at hello@sketchplanations.com or by leaving comments and messages for this episode on Instagram or Twitter.This is our final episode of Series 1, but we'll be back in the Autumn with a second series. In the meantime, you can find all three of us on Social Media here: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.Find many more sketches at Sketchplanations.comAll Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 10, 2023 • 55min
5 Ways to Wellbeing
This week, we invite expert, Nancy Hey to talk us through the 5 simple, evidence-based ways to actively improve our mental wellbeing. Suggestions for actions we can all integrate into our lives to try and take a holistic approach to improving our mental capacity and wellbeing. Do you have any additional suggestions or things that work for you? Let us know at hello@sketchplanations.com or by leaving comments and messages for this episode on Instagram or Twitter.See Jono's sketch here: https://sketchplanations.com/5-ways-to-wellbeingYou can find all three of us on Social Media here too: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.Find many more sketches at Sketchplanations.comAll Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 3, 2023 • 1h 13min
QUICKFIRE ROUND - Words and Language
What's your relationship with language? If you're interested in quirky words, linguistic devices and grammar, then there'll be lots in this week's episode for you. It's another BUMPER PACK QuickFire Round. Every day's a school day! But we promise you won't get told off if you haven't done your homework. In order of appearance:1/. Kaffikok2/. Advise vs Advice3/. Affect vs Effect4/. Pleonasm5/. Amateur vs Professional6/. Pyrrhic Victory7/. Flotsam & Jetsam8/. Contranym9/. NATO Phonetic Alphabet10/. Compliment vs Complement11/. Less vs Fewer12/. TsundokuEmail us at hello@sketchplanations.com with your takes on these sketches or you can leave us comments and messages for this episode on Social Media.You can find all three of us on Social Media here too: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.All Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 27, 2023 • 45min
The Cost of Being Late
It’s easy to think “it’s just a few minutes.” But as the number of people that you hold up increases, the true cost of being late scales rapidly.This week we discuss our relationships with time-keeping and explore how the impacts can be much bigger than you might first think. What's your relationship with punctuality? We'd love to hear from you. Let us know at hello@sketchplanations.com or by leaving comments and messages for this episode on Instagram or Twitter.You can find all three of us on Social Media here too: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.Find many more sketches at Sketchplanations.comAll Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 20, 2023 • 45min
Crossmodal Perception
It was a surprise to me to learn that our senses interact with each other a lot more than I thought to give our perception of the world around us and in particular the things we eat and drink. So many fascinating examples and intriguing research conducted in this area.See Jono's sketch of Crossmodal Perception here.We also mentioned Jono's proprioception sketch.Here's the YouTube video of the McGurk Effect.And here's that silly but quite funny police dashcam video of the driver getting caught out being drunk. We do not condone this behaviour. Any specific examples of crossmodal perception that you're aware of? We'd love to hear from you. Let us know at hello@sketchplanations.com or by leaving comments and messages for this episode on Instagram or Twitter.You can find all three of us on Social Media here too: Jono Hey, Tom Pellereau, Rob Bell.Find many more sketches at Sketchplanations.comAll Music on this podcast series is provided by Franc Cinelli. Find many more tracks at franccinelli.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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