deKrizia L's Writing Memos

In the business world it's critical to know how to communicate to those around us. I have always been someone who would rather tell you something face to face or over the phone; however in the fast pace world of business other forms of communication may be necessary to get the piont across or get the problem solved. There are so many ways to communicate in the workpalce. You can still make a phone call, but other options such as writing memos, reports, letters, or emails are available and necessary to ensure good communicaiton. In the workplace, it's important to know how to write all of these documents and today we are going to focus on writing a memo.

It's important to know when and how to write memos in the workplace and it's just as important to create an outline which identifies a specific audience, purpose and tone for the memo before starting to write it. If these factors aren't thought about before hand, it could result in wrong information, consfusion and even frustration among the readers. In general, memos should be clear and concise and usually notify co-workers of specific information such as meeting times or due dates; however memos can also be written to persuade others to take action, give feedback on an issue or react to a situation.

Memos are an effective way to communicate information to co-workers; however sometimes it's important to meet face to face. A memo can be sent to inform co-workers of the meeting or to retrieve information necessary for the meeting; however it's vital that the memo doesn't take the place of the meeting when it's important to meet face to face. For example, if you're looking for co-workers to come up with ideas in order to make a big decision in the company it may be important to have a face-to-face meeting. As stated by Colorado State University, "Before writing a memo, outline what your purpose is for doing so, and decide if the memo is the best communication channel".

Here are four common types of memos:

Directive

A directive memo states a policy or procedure you want the reader or co-worker to follow.

Response to an Inquiry

This type of memo is responding to a previous inquiry and provides the audience with desired information. The memo needs to include a purpose statement, summary, discussion and action.

Trip Report

The audience of this memo is usually a supervisor after you (the employee) have returned from a business trip. It should be structured to include a purpose statement (paragraph providing information about the trip), summary, discussion and action.

Field/Lab Report

These memos are used to report on inspection and procedures. The memo should include the problem, methods, results and conclusion; without spending too much time on the method section.

Information From: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/memo/pop2b.cfm