MODULE 2

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Subject : Bahasa Inggris 4

Semester : IV (Empat)

Week : 2

1. Competence Unit : Internal Communication

2. Competence Element : - Writing memorandums and notes

3. Performance : The students are able to:

- Write memorandums

- Write notes

1. Memorandum

 What is a memorandum?

A memorandum (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. If in doubt, follow your company style.

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  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; e.g. 'January'.

4. A ‘Subject Heading’ is what the message is about.

5. The message.
Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the
following sections:

a. Situation

An Introduction or the purpose of the memo

b. Problem (optional)

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 For example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff 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 authorise 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.

For example: "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally
"Thanks".

6. Signature - This is optional.

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  Method of Writing a Memo

1. Write the heading segment.

Specify who the memo is for and who sent it. The heading segment should also include the

complete and exact date the memo was written, and the subject matter (what the memo is

about). A sample heading would look like:

To: Name and job title of the recipient

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 From: Your name and job title

Date: Complete date when the memo was written

Subject: What the memo is about (highlighted in some way)

Note: Always address readers by their correct name; do not use nicknames.

2. Consider who the reader should be.

In order to get people to read and respond to the memo, it’s important to tailor the tone,

length, and level of formality of the memo to the reader who will be reading it. Doing

this effectively requires that you have a good idea of who the memo is intended for.

o Think about your reader’s priorities and concerns are, and try to imagine why the

information you are presenting would be important to them.

o Try to anticipate any questions your readers might have. Brainstorm some content

for the memo, such as examples, evidence, or other information that will persuade

them.

o Considering the reader also allows you to be sensitive to including any information

or sentiments that are inappropriate for your readers.

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3. Introduce the problem or issue to your readers in the opening segment.

Briefly give them the context behind the action you wish them to take. This is somewhat

like a thesis statement, which introduces the topic and states why it matters.

o Include only as much information as is needed, while still being convincing that a

real problem exists.

o As a general guideline, the opening should take up about ¼ of the total length of the

memo.

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4. Suggest ways to address the issue in the summary segment.

What you are summarizing here are the key actions you would like your readers to take.

o This can also include some evidence to back up your recommendations.

o In a very short memo, it might not be necessary to include a separate summary

segment. Instead, this can be integrated into the next segment, the “discussion

segment”.

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5. Support your course of action in the discussion segment.

Be persuasive. State how the readers will benefit from taking the action you recommend,

or be disadvantaged through lack of action.

o Give evidence and logical reasons for the solutions you propose. Feel free to include

graphics, lists, or charts, especially in longer memos. Just be sure they are truly

relevant and persuasive.

o Start with the most important information, then move to specific or supporting facts.

o The general guideline for length is that the summary and discussion segments

combined should comprise about ½ of the memo.

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6. Close the memo with a friendly ending that restates what actions you want the

reader to take.

You might want to include a statement like, "I will be glad to discuss these

recommendations with you later on and follow through on any decisions you make."

o Give the reader a sense of solidarity and optimism if possible.

o Emphasize a particular next step that they can take.

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Review and edit your memo to make sure that it is clear, concise, persuasive, and free

of errors.

Check that you are consistent in the type of language that you use, and eliminate

unnecessary scholarly words or technical jargon.

o Review for spelling, grammar, and content errors. Pay particular attention to

names, dates, or numbers.

o Check that it is not excessively long, and cut out any extraneous material.

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7. Type your message. You can make your memo look more professional by using bullet

points or lists and ensuring that you align justify for all paragraphs. Furthermore, you

should use the same font size in your message as you have used in the previous fields,

with the exception of the title. Start each topic with the proper headings. This will make

the memo look more professional and will also leave a better impression on the reader, not

to mention making the memo read more clearly. If necessary, you can even customize the

memo to use a table. This is sometimes a good idea, especially if using a bullet list or

something similar makes the memo look too crowded and difficult to read.

8. Make sure that you do not overlook the information that is provided in the footer.

This is where you should put your company information or your personal contact

information. It is vitally important that you take the time to ensure that this information is

correct. The last thing you want to have happen is to write an excellent memo and then

have incorrect contact information or have that information missing altogether.

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9. Customize your look. One of the most appealing things about the template is that you can

even change the color of the document. This allows you to exercise a certain degree of

personality and makes the entire document stand out more precisely. It also allows you to

choose a color that is appropriate for the situation at hand in order to ensure that the memo

is visually striking, yet professional.

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Tips in Writing Memo

 Feel free to include lists, charts, and graphs at the end of the memo to help the reader better

understand the topic. Make sure to add a notation of how the attachments are relevant.

 Don't give too many whys. It's important to explain why you want something done, but don't

overdo it.

 For longer memos, consider writing short headings that clarify the content of each category.

For example, instead of stating "opening," write "Ant problem in the office." Be specific and

brief in every heading so that the basic point of your memo is apparent to the reader right

away.

 Memos should be always brief.

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42
Sample Memo to Co-workers

To:  All Staff and Interns

From: Ana Lucily, Executive Assistant to the President

Date: July 15, 2012

Subject: Dishes in the Sink

It has come to our attention that there has been a pile of unwashed dishes that accumulates
in the sink by the end of each week. It has gotten so bad that washing one’s hands in the
kitchen sink becomes an uncomfortable undertaking. Therefore, we are introducing a new
policy that mandates that employees wash their dishes as soon as they are done with them,
keeping the sink clear for other uses.

If you do not have the time to wash your lunch container or coffee mug, leave it by your desk
until you are ready to wash it. Even two or three dirty plates will encourage every person
thereafter to leave their unwashed, food-stained dishes and silverware in the sink.
Conversely, studies have shown that when a sink is empty, people are more likely to wash
their dishes immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Best,

Ana Lucily

Sample Memo to Boss

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To: Joe Campos, VP of Sales

From: Kate Chaplain, Senior Sales Associate

Date: April 5, 2013

Subject: Quarterly Review

Mr. Campos,

I’ve attached my quarterly review report to this email, but I also wanted to quickly discuss
the trends I’ve noticed in our sales data over the past few months.

We’ve sold over 10,000 new memberships over the past quarter, which is a 22% increase
from Q4 of last year. Our data analysis shows that this upswing corresponds with the
creation of company pages on various social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter,
which allows more people to connect with us virtually. In fact, over half of our new
memberships were purchased from links that were posted on our Facebook and Twitter
profiles.

We’ve also had an 82% renewal rate in memberships that were set to expire in Q1. This is
16% higher than our renewal rate in Q4, which suggests that our new program—having
sales associates contact members directly about renewing their memberships—is working
even better than we had expected.

Unfortunately, we haven’t seen the same rapid growth in the purchase of family
memberships. While the number of FMs has increased by 2% over last quarter’s numbers, I
believe we can get that number even higher. I’ve listed some suggestions in my report, but I
would also like to add it to the agenda for our quarterly review meeting later this week.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Kate Chaplain
Senior Sales Associate
Body Rock Fitness

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1. NOTES

Generally notes are less formal than memorandums.

For example:

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 MEMORANDUM

To: S M Chan, General Manager

From: Samantha Ng, Office Manager
Date: 28 March 2015
Subject:  Purchase of a Microwave Oven

1. Introduction
At the monthly staff meeting on Wednesday, 25 March 2015, you requested

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 information about the possible purchase of a microwave oven. I would now like to
present these details.

2. Background
Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a
nearby place to buy lunch.

3. Advantages
Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own
lunchboxes and reheat their food. Also, staff members are less likely to return to
work late after lunch.

4. Staff Opinion
A survey found that staff would like to use the microwave oven.

5. Cost
Details of suitable models are given below:

Brand Model Price

Philip M903 $2,800

Sharp R- $2,600
3R29
Sonny $2,400
6145 X
6. Request
If this meets with your approval, we would appreciate it if you could authorise up
to $3,000 for the purchase of the microwave oven.

Samantha Ng

EXERCISE:

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