In any business or personal situation that requires written communication, it is always important that the message sent is clearly understood. It can be difficult to gain success if people do not understand what you are writing about or easily lose focus. When writing a proper memo, those two obstacles must be overcome. By following a few of these guidelines, you can write a proper memo.
Instructions
1. Begin with listing who the memo is from, who it is going to, and the main subject of the memo. This is usually done in the upper-left area of the page with "FROM: (your name/office)". Underneath that would be "TO: (subject's name)". Below that line is "SUBJECT:" and a one- to three-word description of what the memo is about. By including this information at the beginning, there should be no mistaking the purpose of the memo and who should be reading it.
2. Write out the main topic of the memo in the first sentence of the first paragraph. You want to get straight to the point of the memo. As with most paragraphs, there should be supporting sentences that help frame the subject. They do not have to be in great detail because those will come in the next paragraph.
3. Include pertinent supporting details about the subject in the next one or two paragraphs, if possible. Memos are not intended to be long, detailed reports that will require days of analysis. However, they should answer some of the main questions that may arise from the subject. For example, if there is a policy change in the office, the descriptive paragraphs might want to outline who made the decision for the change and the main reasons why. It shouldn't include the entire time line of events, who said what, how many times the policy change was rewritten and so forth.
4. End the memo on a positive note, no matter what the memo is about, and include the important contact information if people have questions. If it is from you, the contact should be you or your representative. Be specific about numbers and best ways to reach you.
5. Check spelling and grammar, and format the memo. If using a block style format, all the information should align to the left side of the page with 1-inch margins all around. Be sure to include the date either on top of the "From" line or to the upper right of the page. When spell-checking, make sure that you are not only spelling correctly but using the right word. There is a big difference between "good morning" and "good mourning."
