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This study investigates educators’ strategies in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with reference to Walsh’s (2012) Classroom Interactional Competence (CIC). The aim was to see what impact, if any, Swedish upper-secondar teachers’ CIC strategies have on promoting students’ participation, what the teachers’ perceptions are regarding the effect of the strategies employed, and whether there are any differences between the strategies used in the courses. English 5 and English 6. The second language acquisition perspective employed in this endeavour includes cognitive and sociocultural theories. Three Swedish upper secondary school teachers were observed over six English lessons and individually interviewed. The analysis revealed different degrees of CIC strategy use, involving instructional idiolect, interactional space, and shaping learners’ contributions. Furthermore, this study revealed the teachers’ use of multilingual resources as an influential aspect of ensuring clear instructions, as supported by Sert (2015), besides encouraging students’ participation. The findings suggest that teachers' CIC strategies promote student participation and possibly enhance learning. However, the study also indicates that teachers need to further develop and become more aware of their CIC strategies, which might help them to successfully adopt additional methods to improve EFL teaching at different levels.