Business Memos

Helpful tips:

Think of your readers and their needs.

Be specific when making your points.

Make your subject line short and descriptive.

Use bullets or numbers to clarify points or lists.

Cover only a single subject.

Memos should be short and concise; try to keep them to one page.

Called memos for short, memorandums routinely are used within an organization to communicate a variety of ideas, from a new sick day policy to short reports and proposals. Among their many uses, memos confirm conversations, share ideas, instruct employees, and communicate policies. Because memos either request or share important information, they need to be carefully and concisely written so that the message is clear and accurate. A poorly written memo could confuse readers, offend employees, and create a loss of time.

Even with the popularity of e-mail and teleconferencing, surprisingly, effective memo-writing remains an essential skill in interoffice communications. Memos may be delivered via e-mail, but they still should follow the same professional and formatting standards as those printed on paper.

Typically, memos are short and communicate a single subject. If you have two subjects to cover, consider writing two separate memos.

Here are the basic steps to take when writing a business memo:

Jot down a list of the points you wish to cover in the letter.

Write the first draft.

Proofread, checking for spelling and grammatical errors. Do not rely solely upon your computer's spelling-check program. Computers do not understand context and will not know if you meant "your" instead of "you" or "you're."

Writing a memo is not difficult and does not require much time. Just remember that a memo is in writing, which means it is permanently documented. Your memo represents you and your company; any glaring errors may cast you in a negative light among your peers and subordinates.

Establishing the Tone of Your Memo

Depending on the type of memo and who your readers are, different memos should be written with different tones. For instance, if your memo is announcing the company's holiday party, it should have a fun and festive tone, not serious and formal.

Example:

Change: It has been decided that the annual holiday party will be on Friday, December 16. It will begin at 6 p.m. and end at precisely 9 p.m.

To: Ready for some fun and festivities? Our holiday party will be on Friday, December 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be music, snacks, drinks, and even a secret Santa gift exchange! We hope to see everyone there. Happy Holidays!

On the other hand, if you are requesting a deadline extension from a superior, you would take a professional and formal tone. However, formal does not mean stuffy, droning on, or using big words from a thesaurus. Writing like that can leave you looking stuffy and out of date.

Example:

Change: In can be seen from the lack of progress in gathering the second quarter's numerical data that we will need additional time to conclude the assignment.

To: Because of the Shanghai office's two-week closing, we were unable to gather all of the second-quarter data. Now that the Shanghai office has re-opened, we will need an additional two weeks to retrieve the final numbers and finish the project.

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