This is a collection of information and resources related to communicative competence. In other words, the skills needed to be a proficient communicator.

Communicative Competence is a group of skills that let a person communicate about anything to anyone. This infographic shows the seven skill areas that make up what we call communicative competence. The five primary skill areas are:

  • Linguistic
  • Operational
  • Social
  • Strategic
  • Psychosocial

We also break out emotional competence, which is connected to both the linguistic and social skill areas.

And finally, we consider self-advocacy skills, which are connected to both the social and emotional skill areas.

Infographic showing the seven skill areas that make up communicative competence.

This infographic is a good reminder that we need competence in all of these areas to be proficient communicators. We will be using this infographic throughout this resource to highlight each area as we explore it. Let’s start by gaining a deeper understanding of what we mean by “communicative competence.”

Get started here!

Communicative Competence: What are we talking about?

We hope you come away from this resource with a deeper understanding of the breadth of skills needed to become a proficient communicator!

Let’s explore each of these skill areas:

Linguistic Competence

Operational Competence

Social Competence

Strategic Competence

Psychosocial Competence

Emotional Competence

Self-Advocacy Skills