While most associate communication with words to interact with others, there are also different pillars of nonverbal communication. In nonverbal communication, people depend upon other different behavioral mechanisms rather than words to communicate. When people listen they often observe closely how the other person is communicating through their different behaviors. This, in turn, explains what it is the other person is trying to communicate. There are several different pillars of nonverbal communication that can all help to convey different messages without ever speaking a word.

The first pillar of nonverbal communication is kinesics. The different movements of the hands, arms, face, and rest of the body that help to communicate a given message all are kinesics. An example of this is the different posture that one may use for example during a work interview. When going in for a job interview a person will typically sit up straight and look alert when they are interviewing with the manager. Eye contact during this type of communication in an interview also allows the manager to know the individual being interviewed is paying attention.

Haptics is another pillar of nonverbal communication. This pillar is based all around communication in the form of touch. A wonderful example of the use of haptics comes when someone may gently touch a person expressing concern when they are hurt or something is wrong. When a person goes to shake someone else’s hand, the handshake often leaves a first impression due to haptics. Did the person shake the hand firmly, or nonchalantly as if they do not care? This is all a part of haptics.

Vocalics is also one of the pillars of nonverbal communication. This deals with the study of paralanguage and how it is used to communicate and convey different messages. The way that people communicate through their different tones, pitch, and volume all indicate the type of message that is trying to be delivered. This type of paralanguage plays a huge role in how people perceive one another.

Each of these pillars of nonverbal communication plays a role in how others communicate without the use of words. The way people express through body language, behavior, and movements all can express a message effectively.