Thank you to everyone who attended the Talking Mats webinar and a huge thank you to Jess at Talking Mats and Julie at Derwen College for such an insightful and informative webinar which will shortly be uploaded to the MakaChat and Makaton libraries.
As mentioned, here are more details regarding Talking Mats training, courses, resources and links to research, please see below (please note these are external links)
Foundation Training
For people who are new to Talking Mats, they offer three different forms of Foundation Training. These are:
- Face to Face (1 day) in either Manchester, Birmingham, London or Glasgow (£245)
- Live Online (3 sessions over 3 days) via Course Beetle (£120-£265)
- Self-Guided Online (over 6 weeks) via Moodle (£225)
Foundation Training: In Focus
New for 2026, Talking Mats are now offering Foundation Training with a focus on specific resources. These are designed for people who have not yet completed their Foundation Training, but work in services where having specific conversations about the following topics is a core part of their role. Currently, we are running Foundation Training with a focus on:
Organisational Training
For organisations of 8 or more delegates, Talking Mats are pleased to offer bespoke Foundation Training. This can be delivered either online or face to face by a Talking Mats tutor with relevant experience of your service/client group. Please email info@talkingmats.com to discuss this option with a member of the Talking Mats team.
Advanced Courses
Their Advanced Courses are suitable for anyone who has completed their Foundation Training and would like to use a more specialised resource. Each course is run either as a self-guided online module, or as a webinar.
Their Advanced Online Modules can be completed in 2-3 hours and will explain how the resource was developed, show filmed examples of people using the different topics, and explain how to prepare for a Talking Mat session. A full card resource is included in the fee (£95) and delegates will have access to a Talking Mats tutor throughout. Currently, we are running Advanced Online Modules in:
Talking Mats Advanced Webinars provide a live training opportunity with specialists in the field, who will explain why, and who for, the resource was created. They will also demonstrate how to use the resource in practice and provide several opportunities to consider the impact of using the resource. Each webinar lasts 3 hours and a full card resource is included in the fee (£95). Currently we are running Advanced Webinars in:
Licenced Training
Becoming a Licenced Trainer allows you to train others to use Talking Mats. This can be within your own Organisation or within a Partnership. In order to access this course, you need to:
- Be Foundation Trained in Talking Mats
- Demonstrate experience of using Talking Mats in practice (via 3 case examples and a short video)
- Have an in-depth knowledge of communication needs
- Have good presentation and training skills
The course is delivered in 2 ways:
- Face to Face – a 2 day, residential course held on the Innovation Park at Stirling University. This is an interactive course with a high level of input from participants. The cost (£1,299) includes all training materials, a subscription for the Complete Level of Digital Talking Mats, accommodation for one night and all meals.
- Online – 4 sessions delivered via Zoom over 3 days. Each session is 3 hours long. The cost (£1,135) includes all training materials and a subscription for the Complete Level of Digital Talking Mats.
Currently, we have spaces available on:
- Face to Face Licenced Training on 11th/12th November 2026
- Online Licenced Training on 22nd/23rd/24th September 2026
Places are limited, so please apply soon if you are interested! You can do this by contacting licenced@talkingmats.com.
Resources
You will find all resources in the Talking Mats online shop. They offer several bundles, as well as stand alone sets on the following topics. Please note, you do need to have completed your Foundation Training in Talking Mats in order to purchase these resources.
- Health and Wellbeing
- Consulting Children and Young People (Early Years, Primary & Secondary)
- Social Care
- Communication
- Supporting Communication with AAC
- Leisure and Environment
- Looking After Yourself
- Funeral Planning
- Careers, Work and Employment
- Youth Justice
- Eating and Drinking
- Keeping Safe
- Thinking Ahead
- Me and My Senses
- Out and About
- Sports
Digital Talking Mats
Digital Talking Mats (DTM) is a subscription-based web app that is accessed via their website. There are 3 different levels of individual subscription (Starter, Enhanced, Complete), and a subscription specifically for organisations, which allows multiple users to access the app at ‘Complete’ level. You can find out more about what features and Resources are included in each of the levels, and associated subscription fees, here.
Research Network
You will find a collection publications, reports and research spotlights in the Research section of the Talking Mats website. They also host a Research Network of over 100 members that is open to anyone with an interest in Talking Mats (either as a research tool and/or in clinical practice) who has completed their Foundation Training. Connecting with the Network provides opportunities to find out what is happening with Talking Mats around the world.