HOW DO I WRITE AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MEMO?
As stated above, an effective business memo is brief, direct, and easy to navigate. The following five writing
strategies help readers to navigate business memos easily and quickly:
- Present the main point first. This may be the single most important guideline about the structure
and content of memos. Readers should quickly grasp the content and significance of the memo. If
readers have a question or problem, they want to know the answer or solution immediately—if
readers want more information, they can continue reading. In other words, supporting details should
follow the main point or conclusion, not precede it. - Maintain a professional, succinct style. The style of your writing should be appropriate to your
audience: In this case, your audience is your boss, your coworkers, or both. So, your style should be
professional, straightforward, cordial, and easy to read. To achieve such a style, use short, active
sentences. Avoid jargon and pretentious language. Maintain a positive or neutral tone; avoid negative
language if possible. In addition to making memos easier to read, a professional writing style also
improves the writer’s credibility. - Create a very specific subject line to give the reader an immediate idea of the memo’s (or
message’s) subject and purpose. The subject line should orient the reader to the subject and
purpose of the memo and provide a handy reference for filing and quick review. Suppose, for
instance, that you were writing to request authorization and funding for a business trip. You’d avoid a
general subject line like “Publisher’s Convention” or “Trip to AWP Conference” in favor of
something more specific like “Request for funds: AWP
conference.” The last example would tell the reader the subject and what she was being
asked to do about it. - Provide a summary or overview of the main points, especially if the memo is more than
one page. Often referred to as an executive summary, the first paragraph of a long memo or message
serves these functions:
! Presents the main request, recommendation or conclusion
! Summarizes then previews the main facts, arguments and evidence
! Forecasts the structure and order of information presented in the remainder of the
memo
! Like the subject line, the executive summary provides a quick overview of the
purpose and content of the memo. The reader uses it to guide both a quick first reading and
subsequent rapid reviews. - Use format features, such as headings, to signal structure and guide readers to the information
they’re seeking. Headings provide an outline of the memo, enabling the reader to quickly see what
the major topics or points are and where to find them in the memo. Make headings parallel with each
other and as specific as possible. Other format features that signal structure and guide readers include
short paragraphs and blocks of text, lists set off by indentations, numbers or bullets, or generous use
of white space to guide the eye.