As in this memo, "I" and "you" are handy because they provide a straightforward way of communicating, but you must be careful not to overuse these terms. Memos for your classes require a highly informative and straightforward tone, but allow for a slightly informal style compared to essays. If your memo uses sources, provide the bibliographic information related to your sources on a References page as an attachment at the end of the memo-just as I have in this memo. Do not hesitate, of course, to let your memo’s content be heavily informed by your research, but also provide your own interpretation and organization of this research.Īs in any essay, you must document the sources of your information so that your reader could find the original source of the information if desired. Your job is to select and present the most pertinent, most current information available to you. It is important to remember as you present the content that selectivity and relevance matter greatly. ![]() On the sentence level, you should take full advantage of the same organizational tools that you employ when you write an essay: meaningful topic sentences carefully selected transition words focused section headings indented blocks of cited text a bulleted series of examples powerful punctuation marks such as the colon, semicolon, and dash.Ī memo’s content, of course, is guided by the assignment and the research required. Paragraphs should not be too bulky-five or six per page is usually ideal. Organization in the body of a memo is typically characterized by the use of section headings and short paragraphs. It is sensible to open memos for your classes in the same way, first directly stating the memo’s purpose, then setting forth the organization and noting how the memo can be used. Note how the opening paragraph of this memo defines the memo’s function and reflects its organization. However, the first paragraph of a memo is typically used as a forecasting device. The general organization of a memo mirrors that of an essay: an introduction, followed by body paragraphs, followed by a conclusion. By simply typing the word "Attachment" as a closing notation, you automatically refer the reader to any attachment, such as a map, a set of calculations, spreadsheets, or a References page. The closing notations, used to identify such things as attachments, appear at the left margin two lines below the text of the final paragraph. The first lines of new paragraphs can appear at the left margin or they can be indented five spaces. The body of the memo follows the Introduction, and it is usually presented in single-spaced paragraphs with a line skipped between each paragraph. The heading has two parts: part one includes two centered lines at the top of page 1, identifying the name of the company or institution on the first line, with the word "memorandum" on the second line part two includes the "DATE," "TO," "FROM," and "SUBJECT" lines at the left margin, filled in appropriately. What follows is a brief description of each component. The overall format of a memo can be broken down into the heading, the body, and the closing notations. Finally, a memo enjoys a broader context than an essay hence, you might refer to other related memos as you write, or you might respond to specific requests made by the audience in your text, in effect, carrying on a professional conversation. ![]() Therefore, you are expected to provide concrete information, even information that the supervisor might already know, in a form that clarifies ideas and puts them into context. When you write a memo to a professor in the classroom setting, you are much like the employee who has been assigned to investigate a problem and report back to a supervisor. Although a memo may be written to a group of people or with various audiences in mind, usually it is a highly goal-oriented communication between two people who need to share information. It is useful to begin by considering that a memo is essentially a one-on-one communication between writer and reader. Because my advice comes in the form of a memo, you can use this document as a model for writing your own memos. This memo provides you with tips on writing memos for your classes, with special attention to a memo’s audience, format, organization, content, tone, and style.
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