Memo

Step 1 - Compute your total word count: Highlight the body of your memo. This will give you a more accurate word count by not using the total word count ("Words") that shows up in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen (this total includes your memo headings). Don’t include your memo headings in the total word count. Step 2 – Determine your total number of sentences: A quick way to find out how many sentences you have is to use your "find" command in Word. Use "Ctrl + F" keys, and you'll get a sidebar on the left side of your document. Type a period in the search box. It will show how many periods you have in your document. Subtract for any periods used for other reasons other than to end a sentence and you have your total number of sentences.

Step 3 – Determine your average number of words/sentence: Divide the number of words (from step 1) by the total number of sentences (from step 2); for example, you have 380 words/24 sentences = 15.8 average number of words/sentence. Your average sentence length should be less than 20 . See the note below for details.

NOTE - IMPORTANT: If your average sentence length is not under 20 words, you should review your document. Look for ways to improve the conciseness of your sentences. Research shows that the longer the sentence, the more likely there will be errors in grammar, punctuation, and clarity. It will benefit you and your audience if you use concise sentences. The goal for any business is writing an average of 15 words/sentence. Research also shows that a 28-word sentence has a comprehension rate of 50 percent! An 8-word sentence has a comprehension rate of 100 percent! This doesn't mean you have to have 8-word sentences, but it does demonstrate the significant role conciseness plays in effective communication.

Step 4 – Determine your total number of commas: Use the "find" command (Ctrl + F) and type a comma in the search box to find out how many commas you have. Subtract for any commas not used within sentences, like in the date line.

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