Best Tips on Writing a Memo Assignment-Get Custom Essay Help Online
- A) Memo Components
Advice
To write an effective memo you should:
- Clearly identify the sender, recipient, date, subject, and other necessary details
- Consider the intended audience and adapt your tone and message accordingly
- Articulate the problem and/or the reason for the memo
- Include enough background information to provide context for the reader
- Explain rationale behind the decision being communicated
- Avoid including overly sensitive or confidential information
- Use bullet points when appropriate (e.g. items in a list, series of steps, etc.)
- Use descriptive headings (or titles) to help the reader skim through the content (especially for memos longer than one page)
- Indicate if any action is required by the recipient
Branding
Company memos typically include corporate branding or some other identifying mark at the top of the page. To make your memo look professional, you should incorporate one of the logos or icons available from the Tech Garden which can be found under Supplementary Materials. Select Content on the navbar to locate Supplementary Materials in the table of contents panel.
Heading Segment
Like email messages, the heading section for a memo identifies key details about the correspondence. Your memo should include:
To: (recipients’ names, department name, or organizational group name)
From (your name and job title)
Date: (current date)
Subject: (what the memo is about – be precise!)
Opening Segment
In a few short sentences, you need to communicate the purpose for your memo and give a brief overview of the document. Depending on the nature of the memo, you may need to provide a bit of background and context for the reader too.
Discussion (Body)
This section is the main part of the memo, so you need to be sure to include all necessary information. The key to this section is organization: arrange your ideas so that they make sense to the reader. To make reading easier, you should break this section up into a series of small paragraphs (rather than one large one). When used judiciously, bullet points can be an effective way to communicate your points. If you have included an attachment with the memo, it is a good idea to refer to it somewhere in this section.
Closing Segment
Be sure to end your memo with a courteous ending and, if necessary, remind the reader of the action that he or she needs to take. Traditionally, memos are not signed by the author, but it is becoming more common to end your memo with your contact information (closing salutations like Sincerely or Regards should be avoided).
Attachment
If you have any extra information to accompany the memo, you should note it in one line at the end of the memo. For this assignment, you are required to include an annotated bibliography.
