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Contributed by Deane Gradous, Twin Cities consultant
General Guidelines
A memo, or memorandum, is a written correspondence often used in a business setting. In that setting, it is often written on the organization’s letterhead, which is a document that includes the organization’s official logo and color scheme. However, with the dramatic increase in the use of email, memos seem increasingly to be written in email. In that situation, care must be taken to control its distribution and maintenance because memos usually have official status, for example, to be interpreted as official communication from upper management.
See the following articles for various perspectives on memos.
- Memorandum (Wikipedia)
- How to Write a Good and Clear Memo
- How to Format a Business Memorandum
- How to Write an Effective Memo
- What is the Format of a Memo?
- How Do You Compose a Memo? What Are the Parts? What Does It Look Like?
- Memos: Purpose and Format
- Examples of memos
Sample Memo
| Medical |
Medical Products, Inc. |
| To:
From: Date: Subject: |
Mindy Grapefruit
Joe Endive January 30, 1996 Request to purchase a coffee maker |
copies to: |
George Grape
Jon Orange Mike Celery Jean Radish |
Mindy, at our department meeting last week, I agreed to research the purchase of a coffee maker for the department. The research has yielded a clear preference, and I am ready to make the purchase.
Potential uses for the coffee maker include service for
– Group meetings
– Guests
– Coffee lovers
Consumer Reports recommended three specific coffee makers. The models and prices are listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Coffee maker options
| Type | Size | Manufacturer and model # |
Price |
| Drip | 12 cups | Brown K345-6 | $39.95 |
| Percolator | 12 cups | Toastmaker 89123 | $24.00 |
| Instant-reserve | 15 cups | Benn H001-A2 | $89.50 |
A survey of the department yielded an overwhelming preference for the instant-reserve type of coffee maker. The people in our department feel that the need for speed and ease of use outweighs the issue of cost.
Please initial the attached requisition for the instant-reserve coffee maker, written to Slade’s Hardware against our budget #50. Coffee can be purchased out of petty cash. I will stop on the way home from work to purchase the coffee maker and a couple of varieties of coffee–including the French roast you like so much.
We will all enjoy a cup or two of coffee at the morning staff meeting.
“Folks count on our quality”
Also, consider
Vocabulary, Spelling, and Grammar
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For the Category of Communications (Business Writing):
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