Not A Word. Four familiar gestures illustrate the way in which communication is carried on without words. Top left: “Silence” is the unspoken word; Top right: “Eh, what?”. Bottom left: Since World War II, “Victory” is the sign; Bottom right: “Out,” “No sale” -- the meaning is clear. Dr. Jurgen Ruesch, research psychiatrist who has written a book on nonverbal communication, points out that his is the only available method during babyhood and early childhood. As life goes on, wordless communication often serves as accent, or sometimes contradiction. Dr. Ruesch feels that the increase in propaganda in the modern world gives special importance to an understanding of the nonverbal signs and acts which accompany words.