Chapter 15: Memos

Memos are extremely important in the workplace, and just like any document, it is important to consider a memo's typical audience and purpose. You should also understand the parts and format of a standard memo, in addition to the right tone to use. There are also several different types of memos that we should consider.


A memo is the traditional form of corporate correspondance, and they are normally only use for employee-to-employee communication. Memos can trace responsibilities, progress, and data, which means that memos can, like other documents, have legal and ethical issues. Your memo should always include the date it was created and your, or whoever created its, signature.


Like any other type of document, you must consider your audience when constructing your memo. The purpose of your memo should also be clear. It should also be noted that email, even though it is increasingly prevalent, may not have fully taken the place of paper memos. Emails are considered less formal than a memo, and emails can oftentimes be ignored because employees typically receive many every day.


A typical memo has the actual word "memo" centered at the top of the page, and it includes a heading that shows the recipient's name, sender's name, date, and subject. The body of your memo should also focus on only one topic, and your description of that topic should be concise without leaving out any necessary detail. Like any piece of writing, your memo will have a short introduction, a couple of paragraphs addressing the issue, ad a short conclusion with a resolution to the issue.


There are some questions  that will shape the tone that your memo will take (Lannon, pg. 342):

• What are we doing right, and how can we do it better?
• What are we doing wrong, and how can we improve?
• Who's doing what, and when, and where?

Memos are normally evaluations or recommendations about company policies, procedures, and the people that you work with. Deciding upon the right tone for your memo will simply be using your common sense. For example, when welcoming new employees, a friendly tone would be much more appropriate than a hostile tone. Memos can also be direct and indirect. A direct approach addresses the main topic of the memo in the subject line, which an indirect approach leaves the main topic out of the subject line and is not specific about the main point.

There are also several different types of memos, which are used depending on the given situation. A transmittal memo is an addition to a large package of materials, like a long report, a manuscript or a proposal. This type of memo is used to introduce material, and it is typically no longer than a sentence or a bulleted list. A summary or follow-up memo is a written record of a topic that has already been discussed, but has not yet been resolved yet. Routine miscellaneous memos can cover almost anything, much like its name suggests.

Group Discussion Question: If memos are mostly paper form, how do you think they are transmitted throughout the office? I am actually curious because email seems to be a lot more prevalent at the office I work at this summer!