WRITING MEMORANDUMS

A memo is a no-nonsense professional document, designed to be read quickly and passed along rapidly, often within a company or work group. Memos are often routed, posted, and forwarded, which means they can reach a lot of people quickly. Effects of careless mistakes compound quickly, since they tend to generate even more memos asking for clarification. Memos also get filed, which means they can come back to haunt you later. Memos are brief, usually one page. If you want your memo read immediately, your main point must be obvious. Practice economy of words. A short and to-the-point memo is more likely to be read. Standard memos are divided into the following segments to organize the information and to help achieve the writer's purpose.

Header Purpose Summary Discussion Action

Parts of a Memo 1. Header

The header follows this general format: TO: FROM: DATE: (readers' names and job titles) (your name and job title) (complete and current date)

SUBJECT: (what the memo is about)

An example: To: From: Date: Subject: Puteh Ramlee, Managing Director Ali Badrul, Assistant Director January 24, 2003 My Suggested Revisions to the Local Demolition Schedule

To: and From: Be sure you address the reader by his or her correct name and job title. In general, omit titles such as Professor or Mr., but follow the style your organization prefers. Date: Spell it out. In some countries "12/01/98" means "December 1, 1998," but in others it means "12 January, 1998." Subject: Be specific and concise.

Annual Report (Too vague) Cost Estimate for Annual Report Cover Artwork Emergency Revisions to Annual Report Cover Artwork

2. Purpose Immediately state your reason for writing. Present the context or problem, the specific assignment or task, and the purpose of the memo. Answer the journalist's questions: who, what, when, where, and why. Include only what your reader needs, but be sure it is clear. Mr. Howard 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 authorization to purchase a sound card and a modem for the computer in the front office. This memo confirms the details of your tour of the new processing plant, as we discussed over the

telephone this morning. 3. Summary The summary should help your reader understand the key points of the memo immediately. This segment may also include references to methods and sources you have used but keep it brief.

This memo confirms the plans made during the writing staff's working lunch with Mr. Howard. It describes the proposed changes to the Greenfield Power proposal, and explains the procedure by which employees may voice their own opinions. (This passage merely describes the organization of the memo. It does not actually summarize the contents.) During last week's working lunch, Mr. Howard asked the writing staff to consider two major changes to the Greenfield Power proposal: 1) invite the governor to write a letter of introduction, 2) transpose sections four and five. Mr. Howard will hold an open meeting next Friday at 12, in conference room 2, in order to solicit employee feedback. (Some readers, satisfied with the summary, might stop reading here. If so, you have done your job well.)

4. Discussion The discussion segment are the parts in which you include all the important details that support your ideas. You may choose to arrange the discussion chronologically, from more important to less important, or from the general to the specific. Whatever rhetorical pattern you choose, you should follow these general pointers:

Start with the old information and work carefully towards the new. Give your reader a sense of the big picture before you zero in on the individual parts. Simplify your language. Instead of "somewhere in the proximity of," write "near". Instead of "at this point in time," write "now." Avoid puffing up your writing to make yourself appear more important.

Observation A. [Details on A...] Observation B. [Details on B...] Observation C. [Details on C...] Research suggests that factors A, B, and C combine to create problem Y. [Details on Y...] Therefore, conclusion X. [Details on X...] (An unconnected string of details is often hard to follow.) Problem Y occurs when factors A, B, and C are present. This section explains why we should avoid problem Y, examines each of the contributing factors, and explains why I feel that action X should prevent further instances of problem Y. [Details follow, in the order promised.] (Advance knowledge of how the details fit together makes them easier to absorb.)

5. Action Unless the purpose of the memo is simply to inform, you should finish with a clear call for action. Who should do what, and how long do they have to do it? You may need to include alternatives, in the event that your readers disagree with you. Be polite when you ask others to do work for you, especially when they are not under your supervision. You may wish to mention the actions that you plan to take next, and what your own deadlines are, so your reader can gauge how important the project is to you.

6. Necessary Attachments Make sure you document your findings or provide detailed information whenever necessary. You can do this by attaching lists, graphs, tables, etc. at the end of your memo. Be sure to refer to your attachments in your memo and add a notation about what is attached below your closing, like this:
Attached: Several Complaints about Product, January - June 1997

Samples of memorandums Sample 1

MEMORANDUM TO FROM DATE SUBJECT : : : : All Heads of Department Rahimi Yusoff, Director of FOSEE 9 July 2002 A Talk on Work Ethics

In conjunction with our Improving Staff Efficiency Week there will be a talk for all staff by a visiting Japanese entrepreneur.

Details of the talk are as follows: Date : 17 July 2002 Conference Room Mr. Hoshi Yamamoto Work Ethics

Venue : Speaker: Topic :

Please inform all your staff about this talk. I would like to have a list of the names of all those in your department who are interested in attending the talk by 12 July 2002. Please hand the list to Miss Zabedah.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Sample 2

MEMO
To: Bruce Lee, sales personnel

Header

From: Diane Cordray, Manager Date: February 13, 2002 Re: Oral Reprimand

This memo serves as a final warning concerning your absenteeism

Purpose

from work. On December 3, 7 and 14 you were absent from work. System regulations state that excessive absenteeism may result in disciplinary action, including dismissal. On December 17, I counseled you in

Summary & regard to your attendance on the job. You were absent on January 3 Discussion
on the job and cautioned you that further absences could lead to

and 11. On January 14, I counseled you in regard to your attendance formal disciplinary action. On February 8, you called in sick. When you returned to work February 11, you told Bahari Osman, your supervisor, that you had gone fishing at Tasik Ayer Keroh instead. On February 12, 2002, I met with you to discuss your attendance. During this meeting, I gave you an oral reprimand regarding your attendance.

I want to be sure that you understand that I am seriously concerned about your attendance record. I expect you to be at work, on time, every day you are scheduled to work unless you have a bona fide illness or injury that prevents you from performing your duties, or are authorized in advance to take time off. If you are unable to come to

Action

work you must contact me, or Bahari Osman at the earliest possible time. Finally, unless you follow this directive, you will be subject to further serious disciplinary action.

To:

Sample 3 Professor Michael Alley, senior lecturer

From: Cindy Reese, student of EPD 397 Date: September 23, 1997

Subject: Request to Research How Credit Was Awarded for the Discovery of Nuclear Fission

For my EPD 397 project, please grant me permission to study the way in which credit has been awarded for the discovery of nuclear fission. Although Otto Hahn received the 1946 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery, several people assert that Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassman should have also received credit. In my research, I will attempt to discern how credit should have been bestowed. This topic meets the criteria for a successful topic in this course. First, I am interested in the topic. As a nuclear engineering student, I realize that the discovery of nuclear fission was perhaps the single most important discovery this century in my field. As a woman scientist, I am also deeply interested in the successes and challenges faced by other women scientists. A second way in which this topic meets the criteria is that it can be quickly researched. A computer search in the library has revealed many sources available on this topic. Attached to this memo is a summary of one such source, Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics by Ruth Sime. This topic also meets the third criterion for a successful topic in this course, namely, that it be technical. The fission of a uranium nuclear involves an understanding of both chemistry and physics principles. By focusing on this single discovery, I believe that I can achieve the fourth criterion for a successful topic: the achievement of depth. Finally, because the library system at the University of Wisconsin offers such a wide array of possible sources, including papers in German, and because many of these sources have been written for audiences more technical than my intended audience, I believe that I can create a project that is unique. If you have any suggestions for modifying this topic, please let me know. With your

permission, I will continue researching.