Lesson Objectives
1.What is a Memo
2.Purpose of Memo
3.Memo Format
4.Guidelines for memo writing
2
What is a Memo?
Memo Writing
•A memo (also known as a memorandum, or
"reminder") is used for internal
communications regarding procedures or
official business within an organization.
About Memorandums
•Memorandumsaresharedtoinformreadersaboutnew
informationandhaveapplicationsfordifferentcommunitiesand
businesses.
About Memorandums
•Communitiescan use memos to tell people within it about public
safety guidelines, promote various events, raise awareness on subjects
that affect their lives.
•Businessescan use memos to relay information involving newly
updated policy, changes in procedure, or persuade employees to take
an action, such as attend an upcoming meeting, convention, or a
celebration for organizational milestones.
Purpose Of Memo
Memocanbeusedtoserveusefulpurposes:
Tocallattentiontoissuesthatneedstoberesolved.
Toupdatecustomers,clients,peers,coworkerson
proceduralchanges.
Toprovideinformationonstatusofprojects,research
orexperiments.
Toprovidesolutionsonissues.
Memo: An Example
Mr.Lukehasaskedmetoarrangeaworkinglunchforallmembersofthe
writingstaff,atthemainoffice,sometimebeforetheendofthemonth.
Thepurposeofthismemoistorequestauthorisationtopurchasea
soundcardandamodemforthecomputerinthefrontoffice.
Thismemowillconfirmthedetailsofpurchasingthedetailsthatwere
discussedearlieroverthetelephoneinthemorning.
Used for all kinds including:
•Short notes
•Exchange information
•Request information
•Instruct employees
•Report results
•Internal proposals
MEMO
Role for Memo in Organisations
•Keeps employees informed
•Motivates employees
•Keeps their moral high
Watch this short video on memo writing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr8pNp3WxBs&t=3s
1.Write a heading.
2.Write an introduction.
3.Provide background on the issue
4.Outline action items and timeline.
5.Include a closing statement.
6. Review and proofread before sending.
How To Write A Memo
1. Write a heading.
No matter what kind of memo you’re writing, you’ll need to
include a heading. This section should include who the
memo is for (whether an individual or department), the
date, who the memo is from, and a subject line.
Your subject line should be, short, attention-grabbing, and
give readers a general idea of what the memo is about.
How To Write A Memo
2. Write an introduction.
Your introduction should summarize the purpose of your
memo in two to three sentences. It should highlight the
issue or problem and the solution you decided to move
forward with.
How To Write A Memo
3. Provide background on the issue.
In this section, explain the reasoning behind the memo. For
example, it could be changes in the budget, a company
restructuring, or a new rollout of procedures. This explanation
should provide justification for the changes being
implemented.
How To Write A Memo
4. Outline action items and timeline (Optional).
Depending on the purpose of your memo, you may have action
items for employees to complete or provide a timeline of when
changes will take place. For example, they may need to complete
a task or provide information by a certain deadline.
This section should include the following:
-When employees can expect changes to go into effect
-What changes have already been made
-What to expect in the future and deadlines they need to
adhere to.
How To Write A Memo
5. Include a closing statement.
Your closing statement will include any information
you’d like to reinforce. Are there any specific contacts
readers should reach out to for questions? If so, include
them here.
How To Write A Memo
6. Review and proofread before sending.
This step may seem like a no-brainer but it's important to
review your document before sending it out. Memos are
meant to inform readers of upcoming changes and relay
important information. You don't want to risk causing
confusion with a typo or misstatement.
To begin making your own business memos, here's an
easy-to-follow business memo template with examples of
how to use them to serve different needs as guidance.
How To Write A Memo
Memo Format
=
Memo Format
I.Heading
II.Opening
III.Discussion
IV.Closing
V.Summary
I. Heading
To: (Readers' Names And Job
Titles)
From: (Your Name And Job Title)
Date: (Month Day, Year)
Subject: (What The Memo Is About, Often
Written In Capital Letters.)
“To” Line
State who the memo is
directed to.
“From” Line State who the memo is from.
Do state your name and position.
CC: (others who are involved)
BCC: (not directly involved)
“Subject” lineShould summarize the reason of the
memo.
Should be 10 words or less.
Is NOT a sentence -it is usually a title.
II. Opening
Three parts:
1.The context and problem
2.The specific assignment or task
3.The purpose of the memo
1. The contextEvent, circumstance, or background of
the problem you are solving.
You may use an opening sentence, such as,
“As Fatimah recommended, I reviewed the
office reorganization plan”.
Include only what your reader needs, but
be sure it is clear.
2. Task
Describe what you are doing to help solve the
problem.
•Iftheactionwasrequested,yourtaskmaybe
indicatedbyasentenceopeninglike,"Youaskedthat
Ilookat...."
•Ifyouwanttoexplainyourintentions,youmightsay,
"Todeterminethebestmethodofcontrollingthe
percentageofratextremities,Iwill...."
III. DiscussionInthediscussionsegment,givedetails
abouttheproblem.
Don'trambleonincessantly,butdogive
enoughinformationfordecisionmakersto
resolvetheproblem.
Describethetaskorassignmentwith
detailsthatsupportyouropening
paragraph(problem).
IV. ClosingClosewithacourteousendingthatstates
whatactionyouwantyourreadertotake.
Makesureyouconsiderhowthereader
willbenefitfromthedesiredactionsand
howyoucanmakethoseactionseasier.
V. Summary
Ifyourmemoislongerthanapage,youmay
wanttoincludeaseparatesummarysegment.
Thispartprovidesabriefstatementofthe
recommendationsyouhavereached.
Thesewillhelpyourreaderunderstandthe
keypointsofthememoimmediately.
UniversitiTeknologiBrunei
Dr. ZeitiHamid
36
Example
Aerokonsult Engineering
To: Employees In Research and Development Team
From: Kim Turner, Project Manager
Date: January 15, 2023
Subject:New Flexible Time Policy
Beginning March 1, 2023
Example -continue
AerokonsultEngineeringisofferinganewflexibletimescheduletoall
employees.YouMUSTsignupforthisplanbyFeb.20,2020,inorderto
useit.
Components of the Plan
Employees must agreeto:
•Work 40 hours a week
•Work a minimum of 4 days a week
•Arrive at work no later than 9:30 a.m.
•Leave work no earlier than 3:30 p.m.