English

TO: ENG1131 Class

FROM: Aaron Moyer, ENG1131 Instructor AM

SUBJECT: The Set-up of a Basic Memo

This memo is to, well, explain memos. A memo came long before email existed as a way to quickly write and send internal messages. That is why email adopted the same header information tags.

Memos are meant to send direct, clear messages to colleagues and supervisors about situations, projects, initiatives, or any other information that needs to be quickly conveyed. Memos are typically shorter than letters and do not contain addresses or a closing signature. As you can see by the structure above, only the date, the name of the recipient, the name of the sender, and a subject line are needed. Notice the alignment of the specific information after the TO/FROM/SUBJECT tags. Just use the tab key to get these to line up. If the memo is sent as paper, the “FROM” line must be initialed or signed by the sender.

Quite often, memos have two or three headings throughout the text to help the reader understand the information more quickly. Also, the memo format is perfect for bulleted or numbered lists.

That is the very basics of the memo and you will be using this format for your next document. If you want to see more examples, look at Module 9 in your textbook. Please let me know if you have any questions.