This study is an investigation of the roles of communication strategy (CS) training on Korean college students’ attitudes towards English learning, their construction of investment (Norton, 2013; Norton Peirce, 1995), and their negotiation of identity. CS training included six strategies: code-switching, non-verbal communications, word coinage, appeal for assistance, avoidance, and circumlocution. During six weeks of CS training, 40 students completed written surveys. Of them, five participated in open-ended interviews. In vivo coding was applied to the interview data followed by thematic analysis to discover themes that recursively emerged from the codes. Survey data supplemented the interview data. Results showed that the students found CS training fresh, enjoyable, and helpful. They also found that CS training helped them increase their self-confidence and willingness to learn English, which provided a foundation on which to construct their investment and negotiate their identities as language learners. Focusing on explicit and efficient instruction in the use of CSs, this study demonstrates that providing explicit instruction in the use of effective CSs can play a critical role in students’ language learning by raising their awareness, encouraging them to take risks, and providing them with models of and opportunities to learn and use CSs.