WRITING MEMOS

Business memos are written to an entire office. When writing business memos make sure to
clearly mark for whom the memo is intended, the reason for writing the memo and who is
writing the memo. Memos tend to inform colleagues of office and procedural changes that
apply to a large group of people. They often provide instructions using the imperative voice.
Here is an example memo with follow-up important points to use when writing business memos
in English.
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 Heading.
5. The message.
Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organized memo message should contain the
following sections:
a. Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo
b. Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay,
staffs have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."
c. Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would
enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."
d. 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 authorize up to
$3,000"
e. 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 just
Thanks

Important Points to Remember

Use the following structure to begin a memo:

MEMO
To
From
Date
Subject

: (person or group to whom the memo is addressed)

: (person or group sending 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 brief 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.

Example of Memo

Writing short report

Practice A
Dave Bradley is a manager at an oil company that is thinking about exploiting the Oil Sands.
Read his analysis to create a short analysis report. Use the following heading:
f.
g.
h.
i.

Objective
Environmental risk
Financial risk
Recommendation

j.
k.
l.
m.

Background
The business opportunity
Attachment
Result

Athabasca Oil Sands Project

The Athabasca Oil Sands in Canada have the worlds biggest source of bitumen. A working
party asked to look into exploiting the resource. The Oil Sands provide an enormous and
accessible reserve of oil. When world oil prices are high, companies like ours may to consider
exploiting the Sands. Although exploitation costs are low, production costs are high. The steam
extraction process is expensive because it uses a lot of energy. The Sands are covered by forest
in an area of natural beauty. Steam extraction needs a lot of water so river will probably be
polluted and wildlife killed. In addition, it will affect the lives of the native people who live
there. On balance, I believe that the financial risk and risks to the companys reputation are too
great. In my opinion, we should continue to exploit our more conventional resources.

Practice B
Study this situation. List the advantages and disadvantages of exploiting oil fields in
offshore Greenland. Use the same heading above to create a report about exploiting
Greenlands offshore reserves.
Experts believe there are huge oil reserves offshore from Greenland. Exploitation will be
difficult and expensive. It is only possible to explore three months of the year. Temperatures
are -30oC in winter. Drilling offshore will be difficult. There are dangers from iceberg. There is
also a 25% chance that there is no oil. Greenlands 57,000 people live mostly from fishing and
hunting. Oil will allow it to become rich and completely independent of Denmark. Drilling and
onshore installations could damage Greenlands environment. The habitat of wildlife like polar
bears is in danger. Some people believe it will destroy the traditional way of life of Greenlanders
and make social problems.