On this page: what is a memo, example memos, why write memos, how to write a memo, practice exercise.

What is a memo?

A memo is:

• a hard-copy (sent on paper) document
• used for communicating inside an organisation
• usually short
• contains To, From, Date, Subject Headings and Message sections
• does not need to be signed, but sometimes has the sender's name at the bottom to be more friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal.

Example Memos

Why write memos?

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 internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do.
 

How to write a memo

Memos should have the following sections and content:

1. A 'To' section containing the name of the receiver. For informal memos, the receiver's given name; e.g. 'To: Andy' is enough. For more formal memos, use the receiver's 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 'From' section containing the name of the sender. For informal memos, the sender's other name; e.g. 'From: Bill' is enough. For more formal memos, use the sender's 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.
    
3. A 'Date' section. To avoid confusion between the British and American date systems, write the month as a word or an abbreviation; e.g. 'January' or 'Jan'.
    
4. A Subject Heading.
    
5. The message.
   Unless the memo is a brief note, a well-organised memo message should contain the following sections:
1. Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo
2. Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."
3. Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."
4. Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to $3,000"
5. Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally "Thanks".
    
6. Signature
   This is optional. See above.

Exercise

Instructions:
Match the items in the boxes on the left with the items on the right:

1. Drag the item you want to move to the correct table cell where you want the item to go. The words will swap position.
2. If an item is in the right position, it will have a green background and a tick.
3. When all the table cells are green and have ticks, you have finished.

hits since

If you have any suggestions or questions, please e-mail us at .