Whats a gift mean? If youre like me, you probably focus on the giving and the taking.

But, have you thought of gifts as a medium, a channel, for communication? In a book called The Gift, French anthropologist Marcel Mauss argues that gifts are universally used to create and manage relationships.

For those of us interested in business communication, the idea of managing work relationships with gifts brings several interesting issues to our attention.

The most apparent notion is that in sending gifts, we communicate our appreciation for what someone did. It signals awareness that the recipient did something exemplary. Usually, the communication is implicit, perhaps even subtle, even though the gift could be tangible.

In a workplace context, bonuses are often seen as gifts, a discretionary act on the part of a manager to show appreciation. It is in the managers power to reward or not reward, and hence the gifting effect.

Stock options, on the other hand, represent something different; there is no managerial discretion in their worth, but there could be discretion involved in giving them.

And do not we all ponder the type and worth of a gift as an indicator of the strength of the relationship? I think weve all been through those debates about how much we should spend when a staff member gets married, has a baby, retires, or quits.

In each of these examples, its brainless to see gifts as a tool for strategically managing relationships. We may also see gifts as a medium (like a news letter ) for exchanging messages.

What weve discussed so far assumes that a gift is an object or accomadation that one purchases or makes and gives to another. But, in an organizational context, a gift might be mentorship, an unexpected promotion, or acceptance of another persons opinion.

Consider meetings where opinions fall into two clear camps. And, out of the blue, someone who previously opposed your position or stayed neutral now moves to support you. That person smiles at you, and says, "I think youve put your finger on the real issue here." Seems like a gift, doesnt it?

Or ruminate on this one, "Jane, youve worked a lot of hours lately to make this presentation a big success. We appreciate what youve done, and want you to take the rest of the week off. Do not worry about your to-do list; well take care of everything." Another type of gift.

In the mass media, reporters and editors normally cannot accept gifts, or gifts beyond a threshhold assessment of value. Its a way of avoiding relationship obligations that might influence their coverage of events, people, and organizations. In this case we see the rejection of gifts as a way of avoiding relationships.

In summary, look at exchanges of gifts as potentially more than just an exchange between individuals; think of them as a strategic tools for developing and managing business relationships. That makes giving a strategic form of communication.