Memo

How to Write Memos
What is a memo?
• A memo is:
• a hard-copy (sent on paper) document
• used for communicating inside an organisation
• usually short
• contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections
• does not need to be signed, but sometimes has the sender's name at the bottom to be more friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal.
Why write memos?
Memos are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable. For example, if you are sending an object, such as a book or a paper that needs to be signed, through internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do.

How to write a memo
Memos should have the following sections and content:
1. A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's given name; e.g. 'To: Andy' is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.
2. A 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other name; e.g. 'From: Bill' is enough. For more formal memos, use the sender's full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.
3. A 'Date' section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. 'January' or 'Jan'.
4. A Subject Headings
Aim:
This page is to help you write correct subject headings for business documents.
Guidelines:
The purpose of a subject heading is to tell the reader:
• what the document is for (the purpose of the document), and
• what it is about (the topic of the document)
e.g. in Complaint about Late Delivery of Order 12345, the subject heading tells the reader that the purpose of the document is to complain, and that the topic is Order 12345.
Purposes:
Business documents can have many purposes. In a subject heading these are written as nouns. Here are some examples, with the usual prepositions that go with them:
• Complaint about ( + problem)
• Apology for ( + problem)
• Information on ( + topic)
• Larning about ( + danger)
• Report on ( + topic)
• Investigation into ( + topic)
• Proposal to (+ verb phrase; e.g. to Reduce Waste)
• Proposal for (+ noun phrase; e.g. for Waste Reduction) • Congratulations to ( + a person who has done well)
• congratulations from ( + a person sending the message)
• Congratulations on (+ a topic; e.g. Passing your Exams)
• Request for (+ a noun phrase; e.g. a Day's Leave)
• Request to (+ a verb; e.g. to Miss a Lesson)
• Application for ( + a noun phrase; e.g. a License)
• Application to (+ a verb; e.g. Use the Company Junk)

If the purpose of the document is to inform the reader, the purpose is often missed out, and the most important information is used; e.g. Late Arrival of Order 12345, or Estimated Time of Arrival of Order 12345.
Formatting
Subject headings should be highlighted in some way. This can be by using:
• Bold Font,
• Larger Writing
• Underlined Writing, or,
• less commonly, Italics.
NOTE: DO NOT USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS BECAUSE IT LOOKS UGLY AND IS HARD TO READ.
You can use Re: before a subject heading, but it is not necessary if the heading is highlighted in some other way. Do not underline Re:
Do not put a full stop at the end of subject headings.
Title Case
Subject headings should be in title case. This means that the first letter of the first word should have an upper-case letter, and so should all the other words, except for articles and prepositions; e.g. Complaint about the Late Delivery of Order Number 12345
5. The message.
Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the following sections:
• Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo
• Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."
• Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."
• Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to $3,000"
• Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally "Thanks".

6. Signature
This is optional. See above.





To: My darling Jane
From: John
Date: Yes, please ;-)
Subject: Chocolate
I had a great time last night, let's do it again soon.
Hope you like this chocolate.
Love, John

MEMO
To: Katherine Chu, Regional Manager
From: Stephen Yu, Sales
Date: 5 May 2009
Subject: Notification of My Resignation
I am writing to inform you of my intention to resign from G & S Holdings.
I have appreciated very much my four years working for the company. The training has been excellent and I have gained valuable experience working within an efficient and professional team environment. In particular, I have appreciated your personal guidance during these first years of my career.
I feel now that it is time to further develop my knowledge and skills base in a different environment.
I would like to leave, if possible, in a month's time on Saturday, 6 June. This will allow me to complete my current workload. I hope that this suggested arrangement is acceptable to the company.
Once again, thank you for your support.
How to Write a Business Memo
Business Memo Basics
By Kenneth Beare, About.com
Example Memo
From: Management
To: Northwest Area Sales Staff
RE: New Monthly Reporting System
We’d like to quickly go over some of the changes in the new monthly sales reporting system that we discussed at Monday’s special meeting. First of all, we'd once again like to stress that this new system will save you a lot of time when reporting future sales. We understand that you have concerns about the amount of time that will be initially required for inputting your client data. Despite this initial effort, we are confident that you will all soon enjoy the benefits of this new system.
Here is a look at the procedure you will need to follow to complete your area's client list:
1. Log on to the company web site at http://www.picklesandmore.com
2. Enter your user ID and password. These will be issued next week.
3. Once you have logged on, click on "New Client".
4. Enter the appropriate client information.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have entered all of your clients.
6. Once this information has been entered, select "Place Order".
7. Choose the client from the drop down list "Clients".
8. Choose the products from the drop down list "Products".
9. Choose the shipping specifications from the drop down list "Shipping".
10. Click on the "Process Order" button.
As you can see, once you have entered the appropriate client information, processing orders will require NO paperwork on your part.
Thank you all for your help in putting this new system into place.
Best regards,
Management
Important Points to Remember
• Use the following structure to begin a memo:
MEMO
From: (person or group sending the memo)
To: (person or group to whom the memo is addressed)
RE: (the subject of the memo, this should be in bold)
• The term "memorandum" can be used instead of "memo".
• A memo is generally is not as formal as a written letter. However, it is certainly not as informal as a personal letter.
• The tone of a memo is generally friendly as it is a communication between colleagues.
• Keep the memo concise and to the point.
• If necessary, introduce the reason for the memo with a short paragraph.
• Use bullet points to explain the most important steps in a process.
• Use a short thank you to finish the memo. This need not be as formal as in a written letter.

How to Write a Business Memo
When planning your inter-organizational memo, be sure to think about it from your reader's perspective
by Linda Elizabeth Alexander
A business memo helps members of an organization communicate without the need for time-consuming meetings. It is an efficient and effective way to convey information within an organization.
Use memos rather than letters when you are communicating within your organization, including members of your department, upper management, employees at another company location, etc.
Memos solve problems either by introducing new information to the reader like policy changes or new products being introduced, or by persuading the reader to take an action, such as attend a meeting, rinse the coffeepot when empty, or change a current work procedure.
The writing style of a business memo is somewhat formal but it doesn't have to sound intimidating. Your aim in writing a memo is the same as with other correspondence: You want to effectively communicate your purpose to your reader.
Memos are most effective when they connect the purpose of the writer with the interests and needs of the reader. When planning your memo, be sure to think about it from your reader's perspective: Pretend you are the recipient and ask yourself:
1. How is this relevant to me?
2. What, specifically, do you want me to do?
3. What's in it for me?
Heading Segment
Begin the memo with a heading segment, following this format:
MEMORANDUM
TO: (readers' names and job titles)
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE:
SUBJECT: (specifically what the memo is about)
Make sure you address the reader by her or his correct name and job title. Courtesy titles are not necessary but make sure you spell everyone's names properly and don't use informal nicknames.
Use a job title after your name, and hand write your initials by your name. This confirms that you take responsibility for the contents of the memo.
Be specific and concise in your subject line. For example, "computers" could mean anything from a new purchase of computers to a mandatory software class for employees. Instead use something like, "Turning Computers off at Night."
This also makes filing and retrieving the memo easy.
Opening Segment
Begin your memo by stating the problem--that is, what led to
the need for the memo. Perhaps a shipment has not arrived, a scheduled meeting has been canceled, or a new employee is starting tomorrow.
After stating the problem, indicate the purpose clearly: Are you announcing a meeting, welcoming a new employee, or asking for input on adopting a new policy about lunch hour length?
Discussion Segment
In the discussion segment, give details about the problem, Don't ramble on incessantly, but do give enough information for decision makers to resolve the problem. Describe the task or assignment with details that support your opening paragraph (problem).
Closing Segment
After the reader has absorbed all of your information, close with a courteous ending that states what action you want your reader to take.
Should they hand email their reports rather than hand in hard copies? Attend a meeting? Chip in for someone's birthday cake? A simple statement like, "Thank you for rinsing the coffeepot after pouring the last cup" is polite and clearly states what action to take.
Traditionally memos aren't signed. However, it is becoming more common for memos to close the way letters do, with a typed signature under a handwritten signature. Follow your company's example for this.
For memos that are essentially informal reports or instructional documents, make the memo no more than one page long. In a memo, less is more.
Summary Segment
If your memo is longer than a page, you may want to include a separate summary segment. This part provides a brief statement of the recommendations you have reached. These will help your reader understand the key points of the memo immediately.
To further clarify your meaning, keep these formatting ideas in mind:
• Headings help the reader skim for sections of the document.
• Numbered and bulleted lists make information easy to scan. Be careful to make lists parallel in grammatical form.
• Font sizes, underlining, bolding, and italicizing make headings and important information stand out.
• As in all technical and business communications, long paragraphs of dense text make reading more difficult. Therefore, keep your paragraphs short and to the point.
Now that you know how to write a proper memo, you can be sure that your readers will understand your intentions.
Copyright, profits and other businesses. Visit her website TODAY for other informative business writing Linda Elizabeth AlexanderLinda Elizabeth Alexander writes marketing copy for nonarticles: http://www.write2thepointcom.com/articles.html
How to Write a Business Memo
By Stacie Heaps
Professional Writer and Editor
The primary purpose of the business memorandum (commonly referred to as a memo) is to allow timely communication to a large number of employees or other members of an organization. The business memo is generally used in place of a traditional letter for internal communication, though memos may be used to communicate with individuals from other organizations in some instances.
Memos are used for a wide variety of purposes. They may be used to convey information such as policy changes, promotions or other personnel changes, a project status update, or increased offering of products and services. They can also be used to request that employees attend a meeting or make changes to work procedures or practices, or they can address a problem, such as employee tardiness or absence, or provide feedback on a product or program.
As you prepare to draft your memo, think about your intended audience, and send the memo only to those who need it. Also, be careful when communicating confidential information; a face-to-face meeting may be more appropriate in such circumstances.
The tone of a memo is generally fairly formal, so choose your wording appropriately. It is inappropriate to be too informal (using slang, for example), but don't be verbose or flowery, either. Conciseness and clarity in language are always best. Use active rather than passive voice whenever possible.
Memo Sections
Memorandums generally consist of a heading section, an opening paragraph or section, the body section, and a closing paragraph or section.
Heading
The heading section identifies the recipients of the memo, the sender, the date the memo was sent, and the subject (or purpose) of the memo. In the heading, determine to whom you are going to send the letter (that is, your audience). Include all those who really need to receive the information, but don't include anyone who doesn't—doing so just wastes their time and your money. Make sure to spell names correctly and to include the complete name and correct titles of recipients. The subject line should be specific enough to convey the main purpose of the memo (for example, "Mandatory Employee Benefits Meeting on Friday, June 4" rather than "Meeting"). The heading generally looks like this:
TO: (recipients' names and job titles)
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE: (current date)
SUBJECT: (purpose of the memo)
You may choose to include your initials after your name and job title in the "From" line to show that you approve the contents of the memo (if you asked someone else, such as a secretary or administrative assistant) to write it on your behalf) or to authenticate the letter.
Opening
The opening paragraph or section states the purpose of the memo. It is generally quite brief—usually, no more than a few sentences. If, for example, the memo is in response to a particular problem, state the problem clearly. If, on the other hand, the purpose of the memo is to introduce a new policy or to provide a project update, briefly state that fact. Save the details of the memo for the next section. For longer memos (memos longer than about a page), the opening section might begin with a brief overview of the rest of the document (you can also include this information in a separate "Summary" section above the opening paragraph; NAME THAT CONTENT OF SUMMARY??). Memos do not begin with a salutation.
Body
In the body (or discussion) section of the memo, include any information the reader might need to know. The most important (and most specific) information should come first, followed by less important (and more general) information. Do not include information that is not important for readers, but let them know enough that they can understand the seriousness of the problem, the reasons for the change in policy, the research that was conducted that brought the problem to your attention, the details about the promotion, problems that could occur if action is not taken, the current status of the project, et cetera. Keep in mind that memos are meant to be brief (most are not longer than a page).
If you have included an attachment—such as a graph, chart, list, or a more detailed summary of research findings—you may want to identify it here if appropriate, or you can do so in the closing section.
For longer memos, use headings to help the reader quickly grasp the main points of the memo. If your memo is longer than a page, repeat the "To" line, the date, and the subject line on and add a page number to subsequent pages. Numbered and bulleted lists also allow the reader to scan information quickly. Try to keep sentences and paragraphs short and concise.
Closing
In the closing paragraph or section, indicate your recommendations, the action you want the reader to take, or (if no particular action is necessary) end the memo on a positive note. This section can often be very brief, but don't make it so brief that the reader is unclear about what he or she is supposed to do. Make sure to include enough information to clearly convey your request. If possible, include (or reiterate) the benefits the reader will receive by completing the action (such as improving office safety by following the new policy), and indicate anything you are doing or will do to help or make it easier for the reader complete the action.
If some readers may not have it, then you should include your contact information, such as your work phone number or e-mail address.
Traditionally, memos have not included signature lines. The practice of doing so is becoming more common, however. In such cases, the written signature is followed below by the typed name of the sender. No closing remark such as Sincerely or Best regards is necessary.
If you have included any attachments with your memo, identify them here. For example:
Attached: May 25 Training Seminar Agenda
Formatting the Business Memo
Format the document so that paragraphs are flush left, and insert an extra hard return before the first opening paragraph, before each heading, and between paragraphs of text.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Conclusion
Written well, business memos are an efficient, effective way to communicate within an organization. For more information on business writing, see the articles Effective Business Writing and Writing an Effective Business Document.
What is a memo?
Memos are often brief somewhat formal but and can be somewhat flexible in format depending on the organization and purpose. Memos are usually sent within an organization. Often these are prepared to not only inform but also serves as a record of action so it may be filed permanently or disseminated widely.
"Use memos within your organization and use a letter to the outside world"

The Body
Formatting, Paragraphing & Style

* Use headings to help readers skim sections of the document.

* Numbered and bulleted lists make information easily accessible.

* Typographical formatting such as underlining, boldface, and italics make headings and important information stand out.

* Keep paragraphs short and concise.

* Use strong, active verbs, personal pronouns, and appropriate vocabulary.

* In the past, memos required no signature or conclusion other than "Please contact me if you have questions." Today, it is common for memos to close like letters, with a "Sincerely," and a typed name under a hand-written signature. If in doubt about how to close a memo, ask for a template that indicates your organization's standard practice.
Keep It Short!
A memo is short. Most experts say two pages should be tops -- after which a memo starts to turn into a report. If you can boil down even a two-page memo to two paragraphs that take up only a half page and still convey the same facts, you get an A in business.