Talking Mats Research Network

The Talking Mats framework was developed after many years of dedicated research and continues to be a subject of research for clinicians and academics around the world. This research is encouraged and supported by our Talking Mats Research Network which is coordinated by Dr Joan Murphy (Founding Director of Talking Mats) and Dr Jill Bradshaw (Tizard Centre, University of Kent), who was appointed as our Honorary Associate in November 2019.

The Talking Mats Research Network is a virtual network, open to anyone who has an interest in Talking Mats (both as a research tool and in clinical practice), and who has completed at least the Talking Mats Foundation Training.  We have over 70 members from all around the world. 

The Talking Mats Research Network is a mix of both researchers and clinicians and we regularly meet to discuss current research and share best practice. Connecting with the Network provides opportunities to find out what is happening with Talking Mats around the world.  We are currently exploring the following topics in our subgroups:

• Reviewing the literature: We have created a database of publications that have reported using Talking Mats.  This database is available below (see ‘Catalogue of Research Publications’). We are using this database for several projects. One of these projects aims to review how studies that have used Talking Mats have analysed and reported their data. We have also produced guidelines for projects that use Talking Mats. This output will be shared once it has been published.
• Conversation analysis: We have been exploring ways in which conversation analysis could be used as a method to analyse Talking Mats conversations. Conversation analysis involves in-depth coding of both verbal and non-verbal communication in conversations. We are looking forward to discovering what new insights this analysis may provide in the context of Talking Mats:
  • We have written a blog for the Talking Mats website (add link) and have had a paper published in the RCSLT Bulletin. (Murphy J., Boa S. & Alm N. (2024) Decision Time Bulletin Issue 838 Spring 2024 pp. 42-43)
  • We are currently examining the importance of silence in Talking Mats conversations.
• Evidence-based resources: We are always eager to ensure that development of Talking Mats stems from practice. A new group has been created to explore some new Talking Mats resources that are evidence-based and that have been developed through user feedback.

If you are interested in joining the Talking Mats Research Network please fill out this application form and return it to info@talkingmats.com. We look forward to sharing our work with everyone!