1、Memos: The following three slides are from:,.hk/cill/eiw/memos.htm,Memo,What is a memo? A memo is: A document (usually sent on paper) “used for communicating inside an organization that is usually short. It does not need to be signed, but it sometimes has the senders name at

2、 the bottom to be more friendly, or the senders full name to be more formal. If in doubt, follow your company style.”,“Memos are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable. For example, if you are sending an object, such as a book or a paper that needs to be signed, through

3、 internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do.”,Why write memos?,Reminders for the first segments of the heading:,1) “A To and From section containing the name of the receiver and sender. For informal memos, the receivers/senders given name; e.g.

4、 To: Andy is enough. For more formal memos, use the receivers/senders full name. If the receiver is in another department, use the full name and the department name. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs., Miss or Ms unless the memo is very formal.” 2) “A Date section. To avoid confusion betwe

5、en the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. January or Jan.”,Other Reminders:The next 4 slides are from: ,“A memos format is typically informal (but still all-business) and public. Memos typically make announcements, discuss procedures, report on comp

6、any activities, and disseminate employee information. If you have something confidential to communicate, dont do it in a memo.”,Other Reminders:,“The tone of memos usually is informal and friendly. Although you dont need to be curt, officious, or patronizing, a certain succinctness is acceptable. St

7、ructure the memo so that the most important information comes in the first paragraph and that subsequent paragraphs spell out whats discussed in the first paragraph.”,Other Reminders:,“Some people appear to think that memos, because theyre public, are effective management tools. Although memos are e

8、ffective for direction and suggestion, criticism and praise are best given in person.”,Other Reminders:,“Even though the majority of information today is conveyed via e-mail, you still need to use the correct style when sending a memo in the body of an e-mail. When youre conveying larger amounts of

9、information, send that information as a properly formatted memo attachment. The message itself can contain the correct headings, numbered items, and other formatted information that an e-mail does not allow as easily.”,“All memos are structured similarly. They have the following elements: An address

10、ee: Flush left, in capital letters, near the top of the page The sender: Flush left, in caps, immediately below the addressee Date: Flush left, in caps, immediately below the senders name Subject: Flush left, in caps, immediately below the date Use suitable paper for your memos white bond, either no

11、te size or standard to fit most desk in-baskets.”,TO: (readers names and job titles) CC: (any people you are copying the memo to) FROM: (your name and job title) DATE: (complete and current date) SUBJECT: (what the memo is about, highlighted in some way) Make sure you address the reader by his or he

12、r correct name and job title. Be specific and concise in your subject line.”,“The heading segment follows this general format: This and the 4 next slides will be from: ,“There are three basic reasons to write a memo: to persuade action to issue a directive to provide a report Regardless of your purp

13、ose, memos are generally divided into segments in order to organize the information and to achieve your intention.”,Persuasive Memorandum Example: To: Mary McGee, Alistair Warwranka, George Lipton CC: Dorothy Barrie From: The Boss Date: June 1, 2006 Re: Need for New Memo Format Ive noticed that we d

14、ont seem to be able to communicate important changes, requirements and progress reports throughout the company as effectively as we should. I propose developing one consistent memo format, recognizable by all staff as the official means of communicating company directives. While I know this seems li

15、ke a simple solution, I believe it will cut down on needless e-mail, improve universal communication and allow the staff to save necessary information for later referral. Please talk among yourselves to determine the proper points of memo writing and return the input to me by 12 noon. I will then se

16、nd out a notice to the entire staff regarding the new memo format. Thank you for your prompt attention to this. Directive Memo,Directive Memo Example To: All Staff From: The Boss Date: June 1, 2006 Re: New Memo Format Effective June 1 In order to make interoffice communications easier, please adhere

17、 to the following guidelines for writing effective memos: Clearly state the purpose of the memo in the subject line and in the first paragraph. Keep language professional, simple and polite. Use short sentences. Use bullets if a lot of information is conveyed. Proofread before sending. Address the m

18、emo to the person(s) who will take action on the subject, and CC those who need to know about the action. Attach additional information: dont place it in the body of the memo if possible. Please put this format into practice immediately. We appreciate your assistance in developing clear communicatio

19、ns. If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to call me. Thank you.,Technical Memo Example To: The Boss From: Sue Masterson Date: May 15, 2007 Re: Update on the T-12 Phase Three testing As we enter Phase Four of the T-12 testing, I wanted to provide a progress overview of the Phase Three testing. The body of the memo might include two-four paragraphs outlining the purpose of the memo. If this is a longer memo, each paragraph will have a subhead to help guide