How to Write Memos
What is a memo?
A memo is: • • • • • A hard-copy (sent on paper) document Used for communicating inside an organization Usually short Contains “To, From, Date, Subject Headings, 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
Example Memo: MEMO To: From: Date: Subject: Susan Smiley George Jones 1 May 2008 Time change
The meeting on 3 May 2008, at 1:00 p.m., has changed to 3:00 p.m.
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 (Susan) is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver’s full name (Susan Smiley). 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, 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 (George) 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. Use the European date format (day/month/year) since this is the trend in the business world. 4. A “Subject” heading. Keep it short and to the point. 5. The message section. Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organized memo message should contain the following sections: • Situation – an introduction or the purpose of the memo • Problem (optional) – briefly give an example of the problem
• • •
Solution (optional) – how the problem could be resolved Action – this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out. Politeness – to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression (“Once again, thank you for your support.”, or informally, “Thanks.”.).
6. A “Signature” (optional) – at the end of the memo. It can be formal or informal.