The communicative approach to language teaching has long been followed by many teachers in many different parts of the world. In Argentina, at present, it is not infrequent to find curricula, courses and teaching materials aiming at the development of the students communicative competence. Despite the considerable amount of bibliography available on the theory of communicative language teaching (CLT), there are few studies on one of the components of communication competence: strategic competence. Another key point is the generalized lack of awareness on the importance of communicative language use and the skills involved.
This paper aims at drawing attention to a neglected aspect of communicative competence: strategic competence, which is described as the ability to cope in an authentic communicative situation and to keep the communicative channel open. (Canale and Swain, 1980).
I consider that it is important not only to be aware of the importance of this component but also to include strategic competence training in the teaching practice as a way of helping students to achieve effective command of the language and to become communicatively competent. Strategic competence awareness is important when giving learners practice in transmitting real information in a foreign language. Strategic competence will help students solve problems encountered in the process of communicating as it makes use of compensatory strategies. These strategies enable students to be more flexible in finding ways to transmit information in real-world interactions. Strategic competence is a crucial component of communicative competence as it determines the learners? fluency and conversational skills
