The word “memo” is short for “memorandum.” This term is derived from the Latin expression, memorandum est, or “it is to be remembered.” A memo communicates policies, procedures, short reports, or related official business within an organization. It takes a “one-to-many” approach, broadcasting a message to a group of readers rather than to an individual. Memos are professional and objective in tone. They avoid all personal bias or subjective preference, especially because they may have legal standing when reflecting policies or procedures. Accuracy is therefore paramount in memos. Otherwise, communication problems can become legal problems (adapted from Business Communication for Success, 2015, 9.2).

Memo Topics

• 7.2.1: Memo Purpose
• 7.2.2: Memo Style

7.2.1: Memo Purpose

The most common purpose of a memo is to make an announcement about a specific issue to many people at one time. A memo may inform readers about an issue in a neutral tone or it may call for action to be taken with urgency. In every case, the language in a memo should be clear and professional.

Memos are useful when an organization wants to:

• make an important announcement;
• prevent a misunderstanding;
• explain the reasoning behind a major decision;
• update employees about an ongoing or rapidly changing situation;
• alert employees to a significant risk or safety issue;
• call for immediate action; or
• announce a change in an official policy.

Imagine if a company faced a problem of over-crowding in their parking lots. One communication solution could be for that company to write a memo that encourages employees to take public transit, carpool, or use other alternatives to driving to work alone.

In this way, memos often try to connect an organization’s values to its employees’ experiences without becoming overly personal. (Business Communication for Success, 2015, 9.2).

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7.2.2: Memo Style

A memo often has the word “MEMO” or “MEMORANDUM” centred at the top of the page. By emphasizing the document type with this title, writers immediately set readers’ expectations that a significant, focused message follows below.

A memo may or may not have an organization’s name and logo at the top of the page.

Below these elements are the header fields. These fields are:

• To:
• From:
• Date:
• Subject:

This structure is similar to what appears an email. In fact, the header fields are based on those traditionally found in memos. The same principles here, such as how to title the document in the subject line, are true of emails (see §6.1.3 above).

Unlike emails, memos do not have an opening salutation or greeting.

The message of a memo is often organized into a three parts. The three parts are the opening, body, and the closing. These sections are almost always organized using the direct approach. With this organizational strategy:

• the opening: this part identifies the topic and clearly states the main message (1-3 sentences);
• the body: these parts support the main message with explanation, details, and reasoning (1-2 brief paragraphs);
• the closing: this part states any required action, describes future steps, or presents a brief summary of the main announcement (1-3 sentences).

Figure 7.2.2: Sample Memo

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For more on memos, see the following resources:

• Purdue OWL’s five pages outlining Memo writing, including a sample Memo, starting with Memos: General Introduction (Purdue OWL, n.d.)
• How to Write a Memo (Erickson, 2020)