Can you take a look see if I have any errors are if I need to change or add anything to this paper.
Business Memo (Content, Purpose, Recipients)
Business memos are in intricate part of a company corresponding internally to inform or make announcements to peers, subordinates, and supervisors within its organization. The effectiveness of your memo writing skills is evident in the recipients understanding of what you have written.
The heading for your memo should include the company letterhead, even if the memo itself isn’t a full letter. Directly below the heading should come the following information: To: name and title of recipient, From: name and title of memo's author cc: names and positions of any other recipients of the memo, Date: month weekday and year, Subject: brief statement (10 words or less) summarizing subject of memo. There is no need for a salutation nor is a signature required in the closing.
The content of your memo should be professional at all times avoid using jargon, slang, or slanted language. The words you chose should have a neutral tone to be safe leave anything out that could be misconstrued. Even though business memos are internal you have to have a balance in the content pertaining to the different personality types that will receive the memo. For example, some receivers are thinkers they tend to base their decisions on hard facts without considering emotional factors. Another receiver may be a feeler they on the other hand consider emotional factors a priority. (27)
Your purpose of the memo is to summarize and usually the author is writing to not only inform you but in order to make a formal request of some kind. Be careful of your tone in the message a well-written memo begins with a clear and succinct purpose statement. The purpose statement usually begins with words such as "I am writing to inform you..." or "The purpose of this memo is to summarize..." The nature of the request is also usually stated at the beginning of the memo as well. If the purpose of the memo is to provide a progress report on a project, the author is likely soliciting formal feedback from the supervisor concerning the advisor's satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the progress made to date.
Once the purpose of the memo has been established the remainder of the memo should be a succinct summary of the facts relevant to the purpose of the memo. Memos are generally written as a request for action on the part of the reader. In general, your memo should end with a (re-)statement of your specific request.
There are some questions you should ask yourself about the recipients you are sending the memo to:
1. Will what I have to say directly impact every recipient?
2. Will the recipients care about what I have to say?
3. What is my main reason for sending the memo?
The following are some components necessary to learn how to write a memo effectively from
http://business.lovetoknow.com :
- Write for your audience: Consider education, background, company status, and recipients needs.
- Informative subject line: Be upfront and non-generic as to what the memo is about.
- Write the bottom-line first: Optimally, the first sentence or two should contain what you want the readers to know or act upon. Exceptions include critical or “bad-news’ memos.
- Concise: Check for needless words; keep the memo to one page or less, and use attachments or separate summaries for additional information.
- Coherent: Keep the memo structure simple and logical; limit one idea per paragraph.
- Common language, no showing off.
- Factual Tone: Use a neutral or positive tone where applicable; avoid emotionally charged words.
- Conclusion: If needed, add a conclusion, or closing, to your memo to reaffirm or summarize the memo’s points.
- Formatting: Follow company-specific guidelines, use short paragraphs, bullet points, and strategic placement of details. Utilize memo-writing standards.
Bibliography
“Love To Know.” On-line. Internet. Available:
/ Young, Dona.
Foundations of Business Communication:An Integrative Approach, New
York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2006.