Political candidates receive as much criticism for vagueness in implementing their campaign promises as they do for their positions on controversial issues. People demand the particulars. The same can be said of the workplace.

As surely as you heard Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve, I'll bet January will bring speeches full of statements about "the corporate vision," the new "competitive strategy," the "strategy to execute in the coming year," and "department initiatives for 2008." The problem? Vagueness.

If you're writing or speaking to an audience larger than one and use only vague terms, people are going to have different tasks in mind for their next week's to-do list. Vision in Asian corporations often refers to plans to be executed 20-50 years into the future while vision in U.S. companies may refer to next quarter. Managers who talk about "creating a dynamic customer experience" may leave their team wondering, "Does that mean smile and call customers by name?" or "Should I offer to remove shipping and handling charges any time a customer asks?"

Don't let snafus around your workplace be traced back to someone's use of a general term that has different meanings to speaker and listener. If you have a deadline in mind, state it. If the agent has a name, give it. If the paperwork has a title, supply it. If you're going to take action, don't cloak it behind a vague, "We're going to be making some changes."

As you start this New Year, fight the urge to lock onto the vague platitudes and promises of politicians. Translate, translate, translate.