An effective business memo has three parts: the title "Memo", a header with the date, the recipient, the sender, and the subject, and short content that gets straight to the point and says what the reader should do.
A business memo (short for memorandum) is a classic means of internal communication at work. Emails, text messages, and chats have taken over much of its job, but many companies, big and small, still use memos.
What makes a memo effective
An effective business memo has a clear purpose, is easy to read, and delivers its message as quickly as possible. To achieve that, it needs a good structure. In general, a well-formatted memo consists of a title, a header, and the content.
Title
The title of the memo is simply the word "Memo". Yes, that's it. Put it at the top of the page so that people can see what it is at a glance.
Header
The header holds the identifying information: the date, the name and job title of the recipient or recipients, who the memo is from, and the subject.
- DATE: Always include the date, so that the recipients deal with the matter in good time. The date also matters when the memo is filed.
- TO: Name the audience of the memo. It can be one person, a department, or everyone. If the memo is meant for one person, be courteous and give their full name and job title.
- FROM: Many offices have people with similar names, so be just as specific as in the TO line. Write your full name and your job title to avoid confusion.
- SUBJECT: A short, specific subject line is a must. You are not the only one sending memos, and the reader may get more than one in a day. The subject should give them a good idea of what the memo is about.
Here is an example:
MEMO
DATE: October 29, 2018
TO: Joe Star, Project Manager, IT Department
FROM: Kevin Ham, CIO
SUBJECT: Thursday meeting canceled
Content
In the content, skip greetings and introductions. Get right to the point, like this:
The meeting scheduled for Thursday, November 1, to discuss project BKA48 is canceled. All further communication about the project will be by email and chat.
Please ask your supervisor, Jack Hughman, for the client's contact details.
The content of this example has only two short paragraphs. A memo can be longer, but as a rule of thumb, keep it to four paragraphs at most. Leave out the small talk and write only what matters, so that people can scan the memo and find the important points quickly.
Every memo should also state clearly what the reader is expected to do. The example above makes it plain that Joe should ask his supervisor, Jack, for the client's contact details.
Check it before you send it
Before you send your memo, proofread it. Double-check the dates, names, and places, and make sure the content says what you mean, to avoid misunderstandings. At work, a misunderstanding can lead to stress, delayed projects, or lost sales. The Spell Checker helps you catch spelling and grammar errors before the memo goes out.
Not sure a memo is still the right format? Do we still send memos now? looks at that question, and for messages that go outside the company, see how to write a business email.