Communication competence has been approached primarily from three perspectives in the communication literature: (1) as cognitive understanding of communication, (2) as a capability of performing certain communication skills, and (3) as achieving effective communication. Most scholars who write about communication competence view competence either as a trait or as situation-bound. Neither view is right or wrong. However, a preferable view is one that looks at communication competence on a continuum from the extreme "traitist" perspective to the extreme "situationalist" perspective. There are at least four identifiable points along that continuum: (1) trait-like communication competence, representing those who are competent in communication across contexts, receivers, and time; (2) context-based communication competence, representing those who are competent in communication within a given type of context across receivers and time; (3) receiver-based communication competence, representing those who are competent in communication within a given receiver or group of receivers across contexts and time; and (4) situational communication competence, representing those who are competent in a given context, with a given receiver or group of receivers, at a specific time. These provide several very different, yet potentially very useful, vantage points from which one may approach this area of study. (HOD)