Talk to your partner about the company you work for or would like to work for in a in a similar way.

16. Study the information and answer the questions:

1 Why do companies send memos to their employees?

2 Are memos always intended for a group of people?

3 What is the general purpose of a memo?

Memorandum or memo helps members of an organization communicate and share information that is relevant to people within the organization. While business letters allow members of an organization communicate with people outside the organization, memos usually contain information that affects those within a particular organization. Memos frequently address a small or large group of people, but some of the memos you write may be intended for one person.

Memos often share new information, like changes to schedules or benefits, or they may encourage the reader to take an action, such as attend a meeting or use less paper. Your aim in writing a memo is the same as with other professional correspondence: You want to quickly and effectively communicate your purpose to your reader.

When preparing to write a memo, ask yourself the following questions:

· What is the purpose of the memo? What will it tell its recipient(s)?

· Why do the recipients need this information?

· What are the most important facts that the recipients need to have?

· Is there a change that will be occurring? If so, what is the change and when will it occur?

· Is there an action that the recipients need to take? If so, exactly what do they need to do? How do they take this action?

· Is there any information (contact names, numbers, URLs) they need to have in order take this action?

· Is there any accompanying documentation (reports, forms, charts) that the recipients need? (These can be included as attachments to the memo.)

· Why do the recipients need to take the action? What are the benefits? How will it affect them?

Formatting Business Memos

The format of a business memo differs in two significant ways from that of a business letter: 1) it does not include an inside address and, 2) it does not include a salutation or a complimentary close. The three elements of a business memo are the title, the heading, and the body.

Sample memo

distribution information:	»	To: Marketing Department From: Steve Anderson, Assistant Vice President Date: December 31, 2002 Subject: 2003 Phone Policy Changes
introduction:	»	On January 1st, 2003, our company is implementing new phone policy. Because of customer complaints that our phones ring forever, we are requiring all employees to make a good-faith attempt to answer their phones within the first three rings. Please review this document before that date to ensure you understand and can implement the new phone protocols.
discussion:	»	According to the better business advocacy think tank Phony Ring Institute (PRI) in Boulder, Colorado, our company's phone ring response rate is well below the national average for competitive companies in our sector..
conclusion:	»	On January 1st, 2003, Please answer the phone on the first three rings. If you have any questions about this new policy please contact me in the next few weeks. Thanks, Steve Anderson