Introduction to Professional Memo Writing By Jason Scullion

Memo Writing 101 Purpose and Intent of a Memo: Memos are designed to address certain people - often decision-makers or “policy implementers” The strength of memos lies in their: (1) Clarity and brevity; (2) Ability to enable or encourage action by a decision-maker or implementer; and (3) Focus on what the reader needs to know. Memos aim to summarize information from other sources and may provide a range of options, including costs/benefits

Key Pieces of a Memo Heading segment (to, from, date, re) Audience Consider tone, language, formality, their priorities, questions they might have, i.e., what they will understand and can use. Problem and solution Introduce both in the opening statement Discussion Support your description of the problem and the proposed action Close Remind the reader of the importance of the issue and the actions you want them to take

Organization of Memos Executive Summary – Highlight all the major points of the memo. Should be able to stand alone Introduction – Set the context for your topic, including topic relevance and what is known and unknown Memo Body – Discuss the main components in their own sections using titles to separate Conclusion – Summarize the main points of the memo and tell the reader what should come next

EXAMPLE MEMOS

Tips for Writing Great Memos Use bullets and titles to separate big ideas! Five Qualities of Great Memo Writing: Simplicity - Don't mistake for easy production (use "action tone") Straightforward sentence structure (subject, verb, object) Clarity - Simple words over complex ones - consider ways of explaining. Avoid Jargon Clear action and responsibility - Assign roles. Don't hide behind words "we” or ignoring who must do what Correctedness - Grammar, spelling, phrasing Source: Electronic Hallway, Evans School. UW.

Plagiarism Plagiarism = taking someone else’s ideas without proper attribution How to Avoid: Cite your sources and put everything in your own words! Use quotes only for something you cannot say better yourself If the information is not common knowledge (i.e., less than high school education, then cite your source of that information) If the information is a specific fact or quote (cite it) How to cite your information In text 1. Use specific Style (Scullion et al. 2014) 2. Use footnotes or endnotes… “..the house was from 1951.1” References cited Include the title, publication it was found in, the year published, the authors, and the pages. Cite image sources! See MLA or APA Style Guides