Writing an Effective Memo Report

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Writing an Effective Memo Report

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MEMO CONVENTIONS

DATE:           The full date with the month spelled out

TO:                 The name of the person to whom you’re sending the memo

FROM:           Your name (often with hand-written initials after your name)

SUBJECT:     A TITLE THAT SUMMARIZES CONTENT

If you are new to memo-writing, the following guidelines should give you a quick overview of the basic format conventions from the general set-up and spacing to the use of headings and bullets.

Basic Format Conventions

Let me begin by reviewing some basic points about spacing alignment, and subject lines.

Spacing. Remember to single-space within paragraphs and double-space between them. (See this page as an example.) You should try to keep a memo as concise as possible. If it’s more than one page long, it will generally use headings. (Please see the next section for more information on headings.)

Alignment. Memos often use a fully blocked style where paragraphs begin flush left (as they do in this memo.) You will also notice alignment details at the top of the memo. The top of the memo typically has four items (just like the top of this page):

1. The date
2. The name of the person you are writing
3. Your name
4. The subject

At the top of this page, notice how tabs line up the information that goes opposite each of these four points.

Subject Lines. The subject needs to be a concise summary of the main idea. The subject line is often put in boldface font to help it stand out. It typically uses title case (i.e., initial caps for all major words).

Using Headings to Highlight and Organize Ideas

Notice how headings (and underlined sub-headings in the previous section) help highlight and organize the information in this memo. You might also notice how the memo begins with an overview of main ideas and the organization of the whole text so that readers know what to expect as they read on. Each major section (marked by a heading) also tends to give a quick introductory statement before moving to bulleted lists or sub-headings.

Additional Memo Guidelines

Here are a few more conventions of the memo genre that you might find helpful. In this section, you might notice how bullets help identify and emphasize brief points.

• When organizing your memo, start with what’s most important to readers and move to less important information;
• Use descriptive headings, paragraph breaks, strategic bullet lists, and graphics (if appropriate) to help readers move through your text quickly;
• When using bulleted lists, try to introduce them with a sentence or paragraph. In general try to limit yourself to five bullets in any one list;
• Keep your tone and style appropriate to your goals, readers, and argument.

 Conclusion

Like any genre, you’ll see plenty of variations on the basic elements. This overview is meant to give you a general idea of conventions; it is not meant as a set of hard-and-fast rules. Ask questions, take note of how other memos are formatted, and experiment a bit as you try your hand at this genre.