Tips For Writing Memorandums
If you work an office job more than likely you will be writing memorandums. A memorandum is quite easy to put together. At its most basic form memorandums, or memos for short, are just a short form of a letter. There may be a heading written in bold or italics for emphasis. Additionally, the memo may address a certain issue or request permission to do something from an upper level executive.
Memo Style
A memo is a written business communication that conveys basic information.
Standard tips for writing memorandums may include simple stylistic elements. For example, the word “Memorandum” should be in a significantly larger font, bolded and either centered or placed in the top left hand corner. This may vary depending on the rules and regulations set by the company in which you work. Directly under the word “Memorandum” will be your recipient – this the whole “to, from, re (or subject)” as well as the date in which you are writing the memo. Under that you will want to begin the content of your memorandum.
Getting Ready to Write
You should open with an introductory paragraph in which you introduce the purpose of the memo. You can open your memo with a sentence as simple as “the purpose of this memo is to…” Once you state the purpose, then you can move forward to the next section.
In this case the next section of your memo would be to describe the issue surrounding your memo. Next you will want to discuss what you have done to better research the issue surrounding your memo. Include as much basic information as possible. Additionally, if confirmation is needed from the recipient you will need to make sure that you stipulate that.
You need not try to squeeze a lot of information into the memo because it is not necessarily a project proposal. The whole purpose of the memo is to make the recipient aware of an issue. If you keep it simple, it will be an easy task. Let’s go over a few tips regarding memo writing.
Tips for Writing
Here are a few quick tips for writing effective memorandums:
- Check for stylistic requirements with your job. Does the company that you work for have a standard form when it comes to writing memos? If so, is it downloadable?
- Make sure that the body of the text is written in clear, concise and grammatically right language.
- Do not use long and overly wordy sentences. Keep it simple.
- Do not use a greeting or a salutation. You should simply go right into the subject of the memo.
- Feel free to use bulleted lists and headings to convey your message.
- Conclude the memo with any closing statements that may inspire the recipient to take action.
- Mention any and all attachments at the end of the memo using the single word “Attachment.”
Memos can be the easiest piece of correspondence that an administrative professional will ever have to write. It is important to just keep formatting standards at the forefront and grammatical errors at a minimum. Always make it a point to edit and proofread your memo prior to sending it out.
It might be a good practice for you to prepare a draft version that you could circulate to someone that you trust who may have excellent editing and proofreading skills. This individual may be able to catch errors in which you missed. Once you get the draft version of your memo back you should make any necessary changes, and then put the memo into a finalized version in which you can disseminate to the proper recipient.
