Memo Writing

Top 10 Tips for Great Memo

A memo is a written document that stays inside the company.

Writing an effective memo is required to run the internal workings of the company smoothly.

To Write a Memo that Works for the cause is essential.

“I love being a writer,” quipped novelist Peter Devries, “What I can’t stand is the paperwork.”
When it comes to writing memos, most business people would agree.

Mounting evidence shows that memos may be small, but they give big headaches to everyone
from secretaries to corporate officers.

They are hard to write quickly and clearly, are like “War and Peace” to read, require Miss
Marple to figure out, and, if written in the wrong tone of voice, can make the nicest people sound
heartless.

In the office as well as out, your personality is often judged by how you write.

Muddled memos can cost you dearly in career advancement. Communication skills are a top
priority for business leaders often more important than financial, marketing and technical know-
how.

To keep getting raises and promotions, experts like Van Skiver and Booher say you need to
literally write your own ticket.

1. What is a Memo and Why? Understand the Purpose of Memo.

2. Get Personal.
3. Be Conversational.
4. Don’t Show Off.
5. Avoid “Smothered” Words.
6. Don’t Be Trite and Dull (be Unique).
7. Visualize the Reader (write for the reader, not for yourself).
8. Make the Bottom Line the Top Line.
9. Don’t Give Too Many Whys.
10. Close with a Call to Action.

Here’s how:
What is a Memo and Why? Understand the Purpose of
Memo.
What it’s not is a school essay. A memo is a written document that stays inside the company; if it
goes outside, it’s a letter. A memo is also 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.

Equally important, memos are written to get someone to do or understand something—be it to

spend money, meet a deadline, constructively criticize, or say yes or no.

Get Personal
Use words like I, you, and we. It’s a lot more human to say, “I would like you to do this.” To get
action, write in the active, not the passive, voice.

Be Conversational
Write the way you talk. “Use contractions,” says Holly Church, a business consultant who trains
Fortune 500 executives. “You probably say ‘I’m happy’ more often than you say ‘I am happy.’”

Don’t Show Off

Avoid scholarly words, technical jargon, and just plain gibberish like “as per your request” when
you simply mean “Here’s what you wanted. “Or how about this: “R & D wants your input
because temporal considerations are of primary importance.” Translation: “Our research people
need your answer today.”

Avoid “Smothered” Words

Van Skiver explains that these are simple root words with fancy endings tacked on to puff them
up. Favorites are “tion,” “ance,” “ent,” “ment,” “ize” and “ility.”

For example:

“The continuation of our issuance of incentives is dependent upon the prioritization by

employees of company objectives.”

The meaning is : “If you want to keep getting incentives, meet company goals.”
If You’re Not Sure,

Check. “If there’s an error in the memo, it will probably be in names, dates, or numbers,”
cautions Booher, and such mistakes may cost you dearly.

One of Booher’s clients, an oil company, was sued by the families of two employees killed in an
on-site accident.

A specialist on the scene said that the company was to blame, but when the specialist described
the incident on paper, he got the date wrong.

This cast doubt on his credibility regarding everything he said he had witnessed, and the upshot
was the company settled out of court.

Don’t Be Trite and Dull (be Unique).

One hackneyed expression Booher sees regularly is, “We’re sorry for any inconvenience this
may have caused you,” which “just sends people up the wall,” she says.

’’Nothing could be more insincere.” ”Please don’t hesitate to call” is another phrase that gets no
results and turns people off. A more sincere ending is, “If you need help, I’m available. Give me
a call.”

Visualize the Reader

Memos are usually written from the writer’s point of view, not the reader’s.

Yet the reader usually has to do something when receiving a memo, and, not being a psychic, he
is often not sure what it is.

Experts suggest you pretend you’re having a face-to-face discussion or a telephone

conversation with the memo recipient.

Make the Bottom Line the Top Line

Memos often begin with a statement of a problem, proceed to discuss why the problem exists,
suggest a course of action, and conclude with something wishy-washy, like “I would like to hear
from you soon.” The action you want the reader to take should be spelled out in the first line (or
at least the first paragraph).

Don’t Give Too Many Whys

It’s necessary to explain why you want something done, but don’t overdo it. One expert cautions
that a reader can probably only absorb no more than six or seven reasons at once.

If you must cite more whys, put them on a separate sheet of paper, and staple the sheets together.
This way, the basic memo message doesn’t get lost in a sea of details.

Keep Paragraphs Short Limit each paragraph to five lines or less. Put each reason in a separate
paragraph rather than bunching them up in a forbidding 20-line block of type.

Close with a Call to Action

Many memos don’t close with anything, leaving the reader hanging. If you want a response by
Friday at 3 p.m., say so.

Sections of a memo
Unlike a formal business letter, a memo does not include a salutation or the sender’s
signature. A memo format typically includes the following sections:

Heading

The heading section includes the name and address of the company, which is already
printed in case of a letterhead. Just below the address section or the letterhead, the
word ”Memo” or ”Memorandum” appears to make it clear that the message is being
communicated through a memo.

Recipient

This section identifies the recipients. For example, if you are writing a memo to all the
employees of the marketing department, it should say ”To: All Employees of the
Marketing Department.”

Sender

This section specifies the name, designation and department of the person writing the
memo. For example, ”From: T. Jones, Assistant Manager, Sales.”

CC or additional recipients

These are the recipients whom you do not directly address in the To section but to
whom you send a copy of the memo for the sake of information.
Date

All memos must invariably include the date of writing the memo.

Subject line

The subject line gives the recipients a quick idea about the content of the memo. It
should be brief and precise. For example, ”Subject: Training session for employees of
the SEO department.”

Message body

This section states the message in one, two or three short paragraphs. The body should
first state the purpose of writing the memo, then move on to the message. If the content
of this section is long, you may also want to include a summary of the message. The
message should conclude with a clear call-to-action, i.e., what action the recipients are
expected to take.

Attachments (optional)

Some memos such as those related to research, presentation or results may require
additional data in the form of an attachment to substantiate the memo’s message.

Memo format
Here is a format you can use to create business memos:

Memorandum

To: [Include recipients' name]

From: [Include your name and title]

Date: [Month, day, year]

Subject: [Subject of the memo]

[A memo requires no salutation]

Body of the memo

[Start with a direct and brief introduction that states the reason for writing the memo.]

[Provide concise but detailed information to the reader.]

[End with a clear closing and a call-to-action.]

Memo Sample
*To: All employees in the procurement department*

*From: Barry Buttonwood, Assistant Manager, Staff Training and Development*

*Date: August 22, 2021*

*Subject: Mandatory training for new software*

You are all aware of the company's recent adoption of a new supply chain management
software. The company invested in the new application to improve communication with
our vendors, enhance order tracking and reduce delays to the barest minimum to save
cost and boost efficiency.

We will hold a training workshop to familiarize department staff with the new software
on August 25, 2021. We hope this training will allow everyone to make a smooth
transition to the new application. All departmental staff must attend the training event.