Correspondence: Memo Components
Although you might imagine that memos are truly old-fashionedâafter all, email is virtually the same thing!âthis mode of correspondence is still very alive and well. Many corporations, companies, associations, and even schools like the idea of putting important information on paper. Doing so formalizes the news contained there and leaves an all-important paper trail.
Whereas letters are sent outside an organization, memos are in-house modes of communication, sent from a dean to department heads, the director of a company to managers, team leaders to team members, and vice versa.
In addition to being used to cover the same purposes as letters, memos are used for other purposes as well. A misconception exists that memos are short documents, that they can be no longer than a single page. In fact, proposals and various types of reports are often set up as memos, particularly if they stay within the organization.
Memo Format
Figure 1. Document in Memo Format
Memo Components
Memos have two key parts: a heading and a body.
1. Heading
The heading portion of a memo actually contains 5 separate items: a heading, plus lines that indicate To, From, Date, and Subject.
Although it might seem obvious that anyone should be able to tell he or she is holding a memo, you should include a memo heading at the top of the page, either centered or flush left. Set it up like one of the following examples, and remember that it should be the largest item on the page, perhaps even in bold:
MEMO
Memo
MEMORANDUM
Memorandum
After the memo heading proper, space twice and then include the rest of the vital information. Although the order of the third and fourth items below can be switched, it is best to maintain the order of the first two. In each line, you should be as specific as possible.
A. To Line
The To line identifies the intended recipient of the memo. You should be specific with this information:
To: Donna Akers, Chief Financial Officer
If the memo has more than one recipient, you have options for setting up the info. For one or two additional recipients, you can use separate lines; however, to save space, if you have several (4, 5 or more), consider using the paragraph form.
To: Donna Akers, Chief Financial Officer
William Gadsden, Assistant Financial Officer
To: Donna Akers, Chief Financial Officer; William Gadsden, Assistant Financial Officer;
David Williams, Financial Officer, Houston; Delinda Adkins, Financial Officer, Dallas;
William Bell, Financial Officer, Laredo
Of course, you might need to use a simple collective noun
To: All Instructors
B. From Line
The From line identifies the sender. It can be a single individual, one or two, or a group.
From: David Williams, Financial Officer, Houston
From: David Williams, Financial Officer, Houston; William Bell, Financial Officer, Laredo
From: Math Department Instructors
C. Date Line
This line identifies the date on which the memo was sent.
Date: 14 August 2018
Date: August 14, 2018
D. Subject Line
The subject line should be very specific. It should identify for the reader the purpose of the memo itself.
Subject: Selection Deadline for McMurphy Park Revitalization Plans
Subject: Meeting Schedule for 2013-2014 Academic Year
Subject: Faculty Retreat Agenda
Subject: Results of Chemical Testing, Stroubles Creek Watershed
When you put these four items together, you should align the elements to the right of the colons in each line, as shown here:
To: William Henson, CEO, Park Designs
From: Jamie Tolliver, Proposal Director
Date: 9 June 2013
Subject: Selection Deadline for Park Revitalization Plans
Not aligning the elements decreases readability because all of the material runs together:
To: William Henson, CEO, Park Designs
From: Jamie Tolliver, Proposal Director
Date: 9 June 2013
Subject: Selection Deadline for McMurphy Park Revitalization Plans
2. Body or Text
You should recall that a memo can be a simple one-page document or a complex multi-page report. Later, you will see how one of the organizational patternsâthe persuasive one -â can be adapted for any document that has as its purpose âsellingâ readers on a particular plan or project.
For shorter memos, you should plan on producing at least three paragraphs:
- Introductory paragraph
- Body paragraph
- Concluding paragraph
As with the same section in letters, you can adjust the number of body paragraphs as needed, depending upon the type of message you are writing.
For longer memos, such as reports set up in memo form, you will have to consider a number of essential organizational techniques to help your reader move efficiently through the text:
- Create headings and subheadings to indicate changes in subjects and/or sections.
- Use lists when necessary to highlight text or make it easier for your reader to grasp information that has been enumerated for them.
- Use ample white space, which gives the readerâs eyes a rest and makes the overall design look cleaner.
- Include page numbers and other visual clues (like repeated visual elements) to help the reader find his or her way through the text.
Finally, there are two details about the memo that will at first seem counter-intuitive:
- It does not contain a salutation.
- You do not sign it as you do a letter.
A memo does not need a salutation because it includes a To line that identifies the recipient(s). It does not include a signature block for the same sort of reason: it includes a From line that identifies the person or persons sending the document. If you do not type the memo yourself but have an administrative assistant do it, you can initial beside your name in the From line to indicate that you have approved the correspondence.