How to Write a New Business Memo

The ability to write a memo from scratch is a useful skill to have.

A business memo is a concise way of communicating a specific piece of information, usually within a business office. Memos are most effective when used to share company information with a moderate to large sized audience. For a smaller audience, a more personal form of communication such as a phone call or email may better serve your purpose. Some companies provide a basic memo format to get you started and to keep communications uniform. However, many organizations do not offer this, so learning how to write an effective memo from scratch is an essential skill for effective communication.

Things You'll Need

• List of recipients
• Memo information
• Attachments (optional)

Instructions

1. Create a heading for your new memo. This should include four lines of information. The standard heading has one line each for "To:", "From:", "Date:" and "Subject." Include the name and job title for all readers in the "To:" area and your own name and job title beside "From:". Keep the subject line short, descriptive and to the point.

2. Write a brief introductory paragraph that immediately communicates the purpose of the memo. Avoid going into too much detail. The goal of this paragraph is to tell your readers what they are looking at and what to expect from this communication.

3. Provide detailed information on the subject of the memo in the subsequent paragraphs. Avoid lengthy paragraphs and excessive wordiness. The goal of a memo is to keep the communication brief and to the point.

4. Include a summary paragraph if your memo has exceeded one page in length. This briefly hits on the topics discussed in the memo one final time.

5. Close the memo with a sentence or two describing the actions that are expected of the reader following the memo. If you are sharing information on a new office policy, the closing segment should remind the reader when the policy will go into effect. If you expect the readers to provide you will specific information or perform an action based on the memo, remind them of this here.

6. Note attachments at the bottom of the memo. Whether your memo is sent in paper form or as email, you should list all attachments at the end of the memo so that readers can contact you if they do not receive all of the appropriate information.

Tips & Warnings

• Your memo should not exceed two pages. If it does, you may want to consider sharing your information in a different format such as a report.

• Instead of indenting paragraphs, you should simply skip a line between each paragraph in a memo. Include headings before each new topic or section in longer memos to help readers locate specific information.

• Use lists or bullet points when possible to eliminate wordiness and make the memo easier to read and understand quickly.

• Memos are generally written in formal language. Save slang or personal comments for more informal communications such as individual emails to your coworkers.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Memos
• Write Express: How to Write a Business Memo
• Hodu: How to Write a Business Memo