The relevance of the study is determined by the significance of the intellectual resources being necessary for the formation of students’ communicative skills in order to increase the level of their foreign language communicative competence in the process of teaching a foreign language in non-linguistic higher education institutions. Nowadays, in foreign language teaching practice there is a need to improve the students’ communicative skills at all stages of learning due to the changing requirements of prospective employers for graduates who should be able to use a foreign language as a means of communication in various professional situations. The aim of this work is to determine the role of students’ cognitive potential that contributes to successful foreign language communication. This article emphasizes a special meaning of intellectual resources, personal and individual characteristics of participants of communication which are necessary to overcome language barriers for a successful communicative act. By the same token, the article confirms in psychological justification of a communicative attitude which means the students’ ability and readiness to make the outmost of a foreign language as well as influences on the process of thinking and formulating thoughts within speech interaction. As a result, the author states the importance of the intellectual component while teaching a foreign language at a non-linguistic university as well as overcoming language barriers that facilitate the process of communication and interaction that are necessary for the development of students’ ability to use a foreign language in the professional sphere.

Keywords: foreign language communicative competence, psychological mechanisms, pedagogical conditions, communication-oriented approach, foreign language