Memo Writing

Corporate Writing: Memo Writing
Memo Writing

Lesson Objectives
1. What is a Memo
2. Purpose of Memo
3. Memo Format
4. Guidelines for memo writing
2

Memo Writing
• A memo (also known as a memorandum, or
"reminder") is used for internal
communications regarding procedures or
official business within an organization.

About Memorandums
• Memorandums are shared to inform readers about new
information and have applications for different communities and
businesses.

About Memorandums
• Communities can use memos to tell people within it about public
safety guidelines, promote various events, raise awareness on subjects
that affect their lives.
• Businesses can use memos to relay information involving newly
updated policy, changes in procedure, or persuade employees to take
an action, such as attend an upcoming meeting, convention, or a
celebration for organizational milestones.

Memo Writing
A memo:
• serves as a way of communicating policies,
procedures, or any other official business
within an organization.
• broadcasts messages to an audience.
Emails can also be considered as a memo!

Purpose Of Memo
Memo can be used to serve useful purposes:
 To call attention to issues that needs to be resolved.
To update customers, clients, peers, coworkers on
procedural changes.
To provide information on status of projects, research
or experiments.
To provide solutions on issues.

Memo: An Example
Mr. Luke has asked me to arrange a working lunch for all members of the
writing staff, at the main office, sometime before the end of the month.
The purpose of this memo is to request authorisation to purchase a
sound card and a modem for the computer in the front office.
This memo will confirm the details of purchasing the details that were
discussed earlier over the telephone in the morning.

Used for all kinds including:
• Short notes
• Exchange information
• Request information
• Instruct employees
• Report results
• Internal proposals
MEMO

Role for Memo in Organisations
• Keeps employees informed
• Motivates employees
• Keeps their moral high

Memo goal
Memos should convey the message in a
clear and accurate way.

Watch this short video on memo writing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr8pNp3WxBs&t=3s

1.Write a heading.
2.Write an introduction.
3.Provide background on the issue
4.Outline action items and timeline.
5.Include a closing statement.
6. Review and proofread before sending.
How To Write A Memo

1. Write a heading.
No matter what kind of memo you’re writing, you’ll need to
include a heading. This section should include who the
memo is for (whether an individual or department), the
date, who the memo is from, and a subject line.
Your subject line should be, short, attention-grabbing, and
give readers a general idea of what the memo is about.
How To Write A Memo

2. Write an introduction.
Your introduction should summarize the purpose of your
memo in two to three sentences. It should highlight the
issue or problem and the solution you decided to move
forward with.
How To Write A Memo

3. Provide background on the issue.
In this section, explain the reasoning behind the memo. For
example, it could be changes in the budget, a company
restructuring, or a new rollout of procedures. This explanation
should provide justification for the changes being
implemented.
How To Write A Memo

4. Outline action items and timeline (Optional).
Depending on the purpose of your memo, you may have action
items for employees to complete or provide a timeline of when
changes will take place. For example, they may need to complete
a task or provide information by a certain deadline.
This section should include the following:
- When employees can expect changes to go into effect
- What changes have already been made
- What to expect in the future and deadlines they need to
adhere to.
How To Write A Memo

5. Include a closing statement.
Your closing statement will include any information
you’d like to reinforce. Are there any specific contacts
readers should reach out to for questions? If so, include
them here.
How To Write A Memo

6. Review and proofread before sending.
This step may seem like a no-brainer but it's important to
review your document before sending it out. Memos are
meant to inform readers of upcoming changes and relay
important information. You don't want to risk causing
confusion with a typo or misstatement.
To begin making your own business memos, here's an
easy-to-follow business memo template with examples of
how to use them to serve different needs as guidance.
How To Write A Memo

Memo Format
I. Heading
II. Opening
III. Discussion
IV. Closing
V. Summary

I. Heading To: (Readers' Names And Job
Titles)
From: (Your Name And Job Title)
Date: (Month Day, Year)
Subject: (What The Memo Is About, Often
Written In Capital Letters.)

“To” Line
 State who the memo is
directed to.

“From” Line  State who the memo is from.
 Do state your name and position.
CC: (others who are involved)
BCC: (not directly involved)

“Subject” line Should summarize the reason of the
memo.
Should be 10 words or less.
Is NOT a sentence - it is usually a title.

II. Opening
Three parts:
1. The context and problem
2. The specific assignment or task
3. The purpose of the memo

1. The context  Event, circumstance, or background of
the problem you are solving.
 You may use an opening sentence, such as,
“As Fatimah recommended, I reviewed the
office reorganization plan”.
 Include only what your reader needs, but
be sure it is clear.

2. Task
Describe what you are doing to help solve the
problem.
• If the action was requested, your task may be
indicated by a sentence opening like, "You asked that
I look at...."
• If you want to explain your intentions, you might say,
"To determine the best method of controlling the
percentage of rat extremities, I will...."

3. Purpose Statement
 Are you announcing a meeting, welcoming a new employee, or
asking for input on adopting a new policy about lunch hour length?

III. Discussion In the discussion segment, give details
about the problem.
 Don't ramble on incessantly, but do give
enough information for decision makers to
resolve the problem.
Describe the task or assignment with
details that support your opening
paragraph (problem).

IV. Closing Close with a courteous ending that states
what action you want your reader to take.
Make sure you consider how the reader
will benefit from the desired actions and
how you can make those actions easier.

V. Summary If your memo is longer than a page, you may
want to include a separate summary segment.
This part provides a brief statement of the
recommendations you have reached.
These will help your reader understand the
key points of the memo immediately.
Universiti Teknologi Brunei
Dr. Zeiti Hamid
36

Example
Aerokonsult Engineering
To: Employees In Research and Development Team
From: Kim Turner, Project Manager
Date: January 15, 2023
Subject: New Flexible Time Policy
Beginning March 1, 2023

Example - continue
Aerokonsult Engineering is offering a new flexible time schedule to all
employees. You MUST sign up for this plan by Feb. 20, 2020, in order to
use it.
Components of the Plan
Employees must agree to:
• Work 40 hours a week
• Work a minimum of 4 days a week
• Arrive at work no later than 9:30 a.m.
• Leave work no earlier than 3:30 p.m.

Example - continue
Scheduling Considerations
Employees may schedule work time as long as it fits the above criteria.
Employees who sign up for this new flexible time scheduling must declare
their work hours during the previous week. The supervisor will take
responsibility for recording each employees work schedule.
Employees who wish to try this new plan must stay on it for three months
before returning to the current policy. Employees who may want to start it
later, must wait until January of the next calendar year to sign up.
39

Example - continue
Important Reminder
Remember - Sign up by Feb. 20 to take advantage of the new
Flexible Time schedule.

41
To: All Employees
From: Masnona Rakkib,
Director of Human Resources
Trustee happy Sdn Bhd
Date: 16 January 2023
Subject: HEALTH AND SAFETY ANNUAL TRAINING WORKSHOP
The company’s annual Health and Safety training workshop will be held next month. The
workshop will be conducted in five sessions to accommodate all staff. Only 25 staff
members are allowed to attend and register for each session.
The five dates allocated for the workshop are as below:
•Saturday, 11th February 2023
•Tuesday, 14th February 2023
•Thursday 16th February 2023
•Saturday 18th February 2023
•Monday, 20th February 2023
All staff are required to select a suitable date to attend the workshop and submit their
names for registration to Jack Soon in Human resources at SoonJ@TrusteeHappy.bn by 4pm
on Saturday 21st January 2023. Thank you for your cooperation and please direct any
queries you may have to the Human resources department.
SAMPLE MEMO

Watch this short video on what is a
memo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5Zyn9y_MDs

Watch this short video on format of
memo writing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2C4hOXbCG0

Watch this short video on how to
format a memo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eevw_pDtn8s

Memo Writing

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