The word memorandum literally means "something to be remembered." Memorandums (also sometimes appearing in plural form as memoranda) often still serve this original purpose. You might write a memorandum of what was said at an interview or meeting and file it in order to remind yourself of, or keep a record of, what was said or decided. More frequently, however, memorandums take the form of short messages to one or more people, informing or reminding them of something.Most memorandums, then, are like very brief business letters without the usual formalities at the beginning and the end. These are replaced by a heading so formulaic and standard that stationers provide printed memo forms and most organizations use them. If you are not using printed forms, then you should type in the same heading:MEMORANDUM [or MEMO] TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT: [or RE:]
DATE: The convention is that memorandums are not signed, but you may add your initials at the bottom. If another document is attached to the memorandum, then note the fact at the end, as you would in a business letter.The hallmarks of most memorandums are brevity and a businesslike tone. They rarely cover more than one or two points and tend to be written in a rather impersonal style, especially if addressed to several people.A typical memorandum might look like this:MEMORANDUM TO: Sales staff
FROM: Data entry manager
SUBJECT: Customer e-mail addresses
DATE: October 23, 2004 Would all sales staff please remember to obtain e-mail addresses for all new customers who have them and to ask existing customers to notify the company if they change their e-mail addresses. Company policy is to use e-mail for 75% of customer correspondence from January 2005, and there are still many gaps and errors in our database. Thanks. T.P.S. It is also possible to send more informal memorandums, especially to colleagues you know well:MEMORANDUM TO: Greg
FROM: Juanita
SUBJECT: Meeting on July 1
DATE: June 27, 2005 Here's the final agenda for Friday's meeting. A couple of points: Item 3: Have you checked with the insurers whether we need extra coverage for the fragile goods in the shipment? Item 5: I don't believe we should extend the contract with ACME Shipping when it runs out at the end of the year. I'm looking for a replacement. Let me know before Friday, if you have any suggestions. Item 6: I'm expecting lots of questions on this. Be prepared! J.V. Attachment: Final agenda for board meeting July 1, 2005 Another way of describing a memorandum would be to say that it is like a brief note or set of notes for someone's attention. Brevity is the key, and, as always, the key to brevity is knowing precisely what you want to say. Short as they are then, even memorandums require a degree of preparation and forethought.
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