Memo

• Memorandum

  An in-house or internal business document that is sent from one part of an organization to another
• Memorandum


  • It is not a letter
  • It does not look like a letter
  • It has its own format
  • It is an internal document
• Sender's identification


  It uses either the initials of the sender at the top of the document or the signature of the sender at the end of the document. NEVER USE BOTH IN THE SAME DOCUMENT
• Language of the memorandum

  • It must not contain personal pronouns
  • It must not contain slang or abbreviations
  • It conveys information so that it sounds unbiased
  • It is professionally written with a formal business tone
• Writing style


  • It is written in paragraph form
  • Only use points and bullets if you are making suggestions or recommendations or implementing a procedure or policy
• Memo format


  1. Heading

  2. Opening/Introduction

  3. Discussion/Body

  4. Closing
• Heading


  • TO: (readers' names and job titles)
  • FROM: (your name and job title)
  • DATE: (Month day, year)
  • SUBJECT: (what the memo is about, highlighted in some way)
• The full date is always written in a memo
• Subject line


  • Should summarize the reason of the memo
  • Should be 10 words or less
  • Is NOT a long sentence
• Purpose of the memorandum

  • It helps members of a business organization communicate, without the need for time-consuming meetings
  • It lets employees know about things concerning the organization
• Purpose statement


  Indicates why the memorandum is being sent
• Discussion segment


  Gives details about the problem or issue at hand
• Closing


  • Close with a courteous ending that states what action you want your reader to take
  • Name the person who should be contacted
  • Provide contact information