Writing Memos Part 3-Communication in Business-Lecture Handout, Exercises of Effective Business Communication

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Memo This memo provides basic information about memos that you may wish to adapt and share with your students. Many teachers are so familiar with memos that we find it difficult to actually explain them to students; this document outlines some of the basics that students need to know. A memo is a short document that members within an organization use to exchange information. To write a memo , consider the needs of your audience, use the inverted pyramid for organization, and support your content with formatting that makes it easy to read.

What a memo is Memos are considered to be official documents in most organizations. They are used to ask for information or to call for action, or they are written to report back in response to requests for information or action. Many people often read memos. Many memos are written to large groups of people within an organization. Some memos are written to only one person but are passed along (“forwarded”) to other people in the organization who need the information. Because memos are official organizational documents, people outside of the organization sometimes read them. Some memos are made public for legal reasons or during court cases. Other times, particularly “juicy” memos are leaked to the press.

How to write a memo After you have analyzed your audience and settled on your purpose, you can write a memo by following these steps:

1. Open a new Microsoft Word document and select the memo template, or design a page of your own that looks similar to this one.
2. Before you begin the actual text of the memo , fill in the header. State whom the memo is to, who is writing it, the date that it was written, and a precise and informative subject (labeled “Re:” in this memo ).
3. Begin the text of your memo by stating the precise purpose of the memo (why you are writing). Then write a brief but informative summary of your message. The purpose and summary are the most important information to your reader.

4. Write the discussion section of the memo by explaining details and examples that will be essential for your reader to know. It may be helpful to remember to answer the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how.
5. Finish the text of your memo with a call for action or a statement about action you will take. Politely state what you want your reader to do after reading the memo.

As you are writing your memo , remember to make use of formatting conventions that will help your readers. Use block-style paragraphs, headings, bullets or numbering, and even graphics where appropriate. When you finish the memo and are ready to make it official, hand write your initials next to your name in the “From” line.

Example Date: September 1, 2000 To: Center Interns From: Center Team Leader Subject: Standard Format for Memos

Explanation In this sample, I have outlined the basic format requirements for a standard memo. You may be familiar with the memo templates that many word processing packages offer--you will notice that there are several variations on the basic format, but the required elements are the same. In any memo, you should include  Date  Name or position of the people to whom the memo is being sent (if there are multiple recipients, list the names in alphabetical order according to last name; you can also include a "CC" line below the "To" line and list the names of your secondary audience--that is, people who may be interested in the memo but are not directly responsible for responding to it);

 Name or position of the sender (often, the sender will write her/his initials next to her name on the memo--this acts as a signal that the sender has verified and approved the memo content);  Subject line  Body text.

The Use of Margins The margins for a typical memo are a 1.5-inch left margin, 1-inch right margin, and 1- inch margin at the top and bottom of the paper. You can adjust these margins slightly to make your memo fit on one page, or to space the information so that page breaks do not happen at awkward places--for example, when you are at the end of a paragraph and only three or four words flow over to the next page. All paragraphs and headings should be lined up with the left margin.

How to Use Single, Double, and Triple Spacing Text spacing is an important navigational tool in a memo. Some conventions ask you to double space between the date, to/from, and subject lines and between each paragraph, others (such as those for this site) use single spacing in the block. Triple space before each heading within the body of the memo. Do not double-space the body text of your memo.

Using Headings If your memo is more than two or three paragraphs, including headings can be helpful for your reader--be sure to use headings that capture the key topic of that section and capitalize each major word of the heading. Bolding or underlining the heading will help the visual design of your memo.

Closing Provide some conclusion to your memos with an invitation for further discussion or feedback, or with contact information. While you do not use a closing salutation for a memo, as you do with a letter, providing contact information and a conclusion indicates

that you are engaging your reader rather than talking at them. Please refer to the resources for memo writing available on the Profcomm site if you need additional information, and direct any comments regarding memo writing to your instructor via email or in class.