Professional (Intraoffice) Memos

 
memos: overview | types | formatting & organization

Overview

Memos should only be sent internally to members of your own organization or business, between those with established relationships and shared understanding. Memos should never be sent to external audiences. While memos are often printed on paper, increasingly, organizations send them electronically as email attachments or post them to office intranets. To some degree, electronic memos retain some of the formality and permanence of traditional paper-based correspondence, but also, gains the immediacy and wide reach of email.

Memos can be short, but they can also be longer, more detailed, and comprised of several pages (which may include figures, tables, and graphic organizers).

Like emails, memos should have informative, specific subject lines, and should use liberal paragraph breaks, graphic highlighting, headings/subheadings, and other formatting elements to facilitate organization and reading.

Like letters, memos should have one inch margins, single-spaced body text, extra spaces between paragraphs, and readable font/s.

However, beyond the shared conventions above, memos are formatted differently than letters.

  • Memos should not include the writer’s or inside addresses (because memos are sent internally, between members of the same organization, addresses aren’t required)
  • Memos should not include salutations, complementary closings, or signatures.
  • Instead, memos should have a heading with the words “To,” “From,” “Date,” and “Subject” along with accompanying text.
  • Additionally, memos are labeled with “Memo” or “Memorandum” at the top of the page. This label may be followed by a colon and some specific indication of the topic or content.

Types of Memos[2]

Procedure and Information Memos

These memos are routine and usually flow downward from administration, supervisors, and management to employees. Procedure and Information Memos deliver official company information and describe procedures. In these memos, tone is particularly important because managers want to encourage employees’ participation, cooperation, and support.

Request and Reply Memos

Request Memos are requests for information and/or action and usually follow the “direct” organizational pattern (will be discussed in later course material). Replies to these memos (Reply Memos) are also organized directly with the most important information first.

Confirmation Memos

These memos are sometimes called “to-file” reports or “incident” reports. They document decisions, directives, and discussions, and often include the names and titles of people involved. Confirmation memos itemize major issues and sometimes request active confirmation from readers.

[2] portions adapted from “Routine E-Mail Messages and Memos” from Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e, by Mary Ellen Guffey

Memo Formatting & Organization

Read “Memos,” from Writing Commons, particularly for information on memo formatting and direct vs. indirect organization.