Fiducia TalkComments
Also called Commenting, Social comments, Opinion words
'That's funny', 'I like it', 'boring', 'wow': the words that make conversation rather than requests, and the reason people talk to you back.
Please note: This page is general information about communication and the ways people are supported to communicate. It is not an assessment, a diagnosis or speech and language therapy, and it does not know the person you have in mind. If you are worried about someone's speech, language or communication, ask a GP, a health visitor or a speech and language therapist. In an emergency, call 999; if you cannot speak, Relay UK on 18000 or the emergencySMS service reach the same operators.
What it is
Comments are the things people say that are not asking for anything: "that's funny", "I like it", "boring", "wow", "yuck", "cool", "oh no", "look", "silly", "I don't think so". They are what most conversation is made of. Nobody talks to their friends in requests.
A board without comments produces a person who can only ever ask, which makes every conversation a transaction. A board with them produces a person other people want to talk to, because a comment invites a reply and a request invites a delivery.
Who it can help
Everyone who wants to be part of a conversation rather than served by one. Comments are the route to friendships for children, to banter at work for adults, and to being a person rather than a resident in a care home. They are especially freeing for people whose boards have been all needs and wants for years.
They do not deliver a biscuit, which means they are learned slowly if the partner does not respond to them with interest. A person who presses "funny" and gets no reaction has learned that it is not worth pressing.
How it works
A comment is a word or short phrase, often on its own card: "funny", "boring", "yuck", "wow", "cool", "oh no". Opinion frames help: "I like", "I don't like", "I think". Most boards put a handful on the home page so they can be said at speed, since a comment about a joke is worthless ten seconds later. See quick phrases.
The mechanism of learning is the partner's reaction. A comment that gets a laugh, an agreement or an argument gets pressed again. That is the whole of commenting rather than questioning: the partner comments too, on the board, and the person learns that this is what the board is for.
The Talk board has comment words across its feelings and manners sets, and "I like" and "I don't like" among its sentence starters.
Getting started
This week, comment on the person's board about your own life, a dozen times a day: "boring" in the queue, "yuck" at the washing up, "funny" at the dog. Do not ask for anything back.
Add "boring" and "yuck" if they are missing. Adults tend to add "great" and "nice"; the person is more likely to want the rude ones.
When the person comments, react as you would to anyone: laugh, agree, disagree. Never say "good talking". Say "it IS boring".
Where to get help
Communication Matters for AAC and partner training. 1Voice for the community of people who use AAC, where comments outnumber requests. Speech and Language UK for how commenting develops in children.
Tools we make that might help
These are our own products. We have put them here because they do something specific for this condition, not because every page needs a list.
Fiducia Talk
'I like' and 'I don't like' are sentence starters on the board, and the feelings set has the words for the rest of an opinion.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page is general information about communication and the ways people are supported to communicate. It is not an assessment, a diagnosis or speech and language therapy, and it does not know the person you have in mind. If you are worried about someone's speech, language or communication, ask a GP, a health visitor or a speech and language therapist. In an emergency, call 999; if you cannot speak, Relay UK on 18000 or the emergencySMS service reach the same operators.