Memorandum (also more commonly memo) is a brief written record of communication, used in office, whether business, government, education institution or legal office (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Memorandum). The usual structure for a memo includes some or all of the following:
MEMORANDUM
TO : the person or group receiving the memo (recipient).
FROM : the person writing the memo (sender).
C.C. : (Carbon Copy) the person or group who should be informed about the memo
DATE : usually a formal manner of writing the date (month/day/year).
For example: February 22nd , 2009
SUBJECT : a short specific topic discussed in the memo. This should be in bold. (instead of SUBJECT:, it’s also acceptable to use RE: which means regarding or reference)
introduction: explains why the memo has been written and what topic will discuss. You can start your idea of this introduction by responding this sentence,” I’m writing because..”. When the memo is long, the introduction is in a single paragraph as an executive summary of the memo itself.
body: discusses the topic in detail. It explains a thing exactly and list items when possible. In a long memo, the body contains discussion of background information. You can use this phrase “the facts are…” to develop the body part of a memo.
conclusion: explains what will or should happen next, when
the follow up will occur and why the date is important. In
most memos, the conclusion is in form of actions. The main
idea of this part is that “I will” or “I propose that you …”
Points to remember in writing memos:
• in short, begin your memo by stating the purpose and end it by letting the recipient know the action.
• Memos are concise and focus on a single purpose. It’s usually not more than one page. If you have more topics, write a separate memo for each. If you have an attachment, put it in separate sheet of paper.
• Use bullets in listing to highlight the items.
• Use 1 inch margins all around.
• Use block style paragraphs (left justified).
• Single space your memo, unless the memo is very short.
• Use an easy-to-read 12-point font
• Don’t use complementary close (e.g., sincerely) and don’t sign a memo at the bottom.
• Check the spelling and proofread carefully for mistakes and missing words.
• Add your initials beside your name at the top to indicate that you have read and approved the memo.
MEMORANDUM
TO : the person or group receiving the memo (recipient).
FROM : the person writing the memo (sender).
C.C. : (Carbon Copy) the person or group who should be informed about the memo
DATE : usually a formal manner of writing the date (month/day/year).
For example: February 22nd , 2009
SUBJECT : a short specific topic discussed in the memo. This should be in bold. (instead of SUBJECT:, it’s also acceptable to use RE: which means regarding or reference)
introduction: explains why the memo has been written and what topic will discuss. You can start your idea of this introduction by responding this sentence,” I’m writing because..”. When the memo is long, the introduction is in a single paragraph as an executive summary of the memo itself.
body: discusses the topic in detail. It explains a thing exactly and list items when possible. In a long memo, the body contains discussion of background information. You can use this phrase “the facts are…” to develop the body part of a memo.
conclusion: explains what will or should happen next, when
the follow up will occur and why the date is important. In
most memos, the conclusion is in form of actions. The main
idea of this part is that “I will” or “I propose that you …”
Points to remember in writing memos:
• in short, begin your memo by stating the purpose and end it by letting the recipient know the action.
• Memos are concise and focus on a single purpose. It’s usually not more than one page. If you have more topics, write a separate memo for each. If you have an attachment, put it in separate sheet of paper.
• Use bullets in listing to highlight the items.
• Use 1 inch margins all around.
• Use block style paragraphs (left justified).
• Single space your memo, unless the memo is very short.
• Use an easy-to-read 12-point font
• Don’t use complementary close (e.g., sincerely) and don’t sign a memo at the bottom.
• Check the spelling and proofread carefully for mistakes and missing words.
• Add your initials beside your name at the top to indicate that you have read and approved the memo.