Business Communication and

Effective Memos
Improve Communications in the Workplace with
Memorandums
Oct 12, 2009 Carol Rzadkiewicz
Memos in the business environment serve multiple purposes, but regardless o
their intended purpose, the! should relect standard ormatting elements"
Memorandums, or memos or short, are used in business or internal
communication between members o a department, between dierent
departments, and between branches around the countr! or, in toda!#s global
econom!, around the world
The Significance and Advantages of Business Memos
$ince most organizations are %uite large and diversiied, memos provide an
eective means o internal communication" &n act, according to 'enneth (immer,
)roessor *meritus o the $chool o +usiness and *conomics at Caliornia $tate
,niversit!, and $ue C" Camp, -ssociate )roessor o +usiness -dministration at
.ardner/0ebb College, the! account or more than 102 o all written
communications within an! business organization 3p" 4015"
6his orm o inter/organizational correspondence oers several advantages7
&t is ine8pensive since it9s usuall! transmitted via e/mail or on ine8pensive
paper"
&t is convenient because not onl! is it eas! to prepare and ast to transmit
but also re%uires little time to read"
&t provides a written record or both the recipient and the sender, which
helps clari! inormation and, thereore, prevents misunderstandings"
The Purpose of Business Memos-ccording to (immer and Camp, memos
serve a variet! o purposes within a business and are used to accomplish the
ollowing7
Re%uest inormation, action, or reactions"
Communicate compan! procedures, policies, and instructions"
6ransmit data"
-dvise members or orthcoming inormation"
Remind members o upcoming meetings, reports, etc"
)romote good will, or e8ample, b! congratulating a member or a :ob well
done or a promotion"
rgani!ation of a Business Memo$ince memos are usuall! %uite brie, the!
must be eectivel! organized to transmit the necessar! inormation as directl!
and as clearl! as possible" 6hereore, the! consist o three ke! elements7
6he statement o purpose7 6his is the sub:ect line or introduction, which
inorms the recipient o the intended ob:ective, or e8ample, ;-s per the
-ugust 4 meeting, the pro:ected cost o implementing an emplo!ee
wellness program warrants additional discussion";
6he main point or message7 &n this section, the sender provides
inormation and<or clariication to ensure that the recipient understands the
purpose o the memo, or e8ample, ;)lease provide a cost breakdown o
alternatives or an emplo!ee wellness program, speciicall! the cost o an
on/site ull! e%uipped e8ercise room compared to a compan!/subsidized
g!m membership program";
$tatement o uture action7 6his portion either re%uests additional
inormation or provides urther instructions, or e8ample, ;6he cost
breakdown is to be presented at a scheduled meeting on 6hursda!,
-ugust 10, at 10700 -"M", ater which compan! representatives will reach
a decision regarding which alternative will be implemented";
"ormatting for a Business MemoMemos are geared toward clarit! and brevit!
in transmitting inormation= as a result, there is a preerred ormatting7
6o7 >ohn >" $mith, ?uman Resources Manager
@rom7 $usan $" >ones, Airector o @inance and +udgeting
Aate7 -ugust B, 2010
$ub:ect7 *mplo!ee 0ellness )rogram
+od!7 &ncludes the statement o purpose, main point, and statement o
uture action"
$ignature7 Cormall! a memo does not re%uire the sender#s ull name, onl!
his or her initials, although either wa! is acceptable= but whichever method
is utilized, an! notations should ollow the signature, or e8ample,
advisement o enclosures or attached documents"
$ome additional guidelines to bear in mind when preparing such correspondence
include the ollowing7
-ddress onl! one main topic since too man! topics can lead to conusion
or oversight"
,se numbered list or directions, or e8ample, directions or the completion
o speciic tasks"
,se columns with headings to present statistics, data, or igures"
,se bulleted lists to present multiple points, or e8ample, topics that will be
discussed at a meeting"
,se bold ont or italicized ont to emphasize ke! words or ma:or points"
Memos, like an! other orm o business communication, can be either eective or
ineective" 6hat is wh!, in addition to using proper ormatting, when
organizational members are preparing this t!pe o correspondence, the! should
remember that the most eective correspondence is that which presents
inormation concisel!, clearl!, correctl!, and courteousl!"
Readers who ound this article interesting might en:o! the ollowing articles as
well7
*ective +usiness Communications and 0riting 7 ?ow to Make a )ositive
&mpression
+usiness Detter 0riting $kills or )roessions 7 ?ow to )roperl! @ormat a
Detter
Reerence7
(immer, 'enneth= Camp, $ue 319905 College English and
Communication" Cew Eork7 Mc.raw/?ill"