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As you put together your memo template, it is important that you consider who you are targeting. In many cases, your memo does not need to be addressed to everybody in the office, just those for whom the information is relevant and necessary. The tone of your memo depends on who you are writing to. For instance, is the intended audience your supervisors? Colleagues? Staff who work under you? A combination of these groups? You can assume that the people receiving the memo are familiar with a current project or industry terms, which means there is no need to provide a lot of background information. Also keep in mind that the staff are busy and do not want to waste their time reading something that is disorganized or fails to get to the point.

Memos can serve several purposes. For instance, you might be announcing that the company is implementing changes. Alternatively, you might inform them about an upcoming event. They might also ask for suggestions, request more information about an issue, or ask that the proper people can some kind of action. They can be used to propose a strategy or strategies (in which case they should be persuasive) or change direction. They can also be used to recognize somebody for an outstanding achievement.

Memos should be brief and written in a professional manner. On the other hand, you do not want it to contain flowery prose nor do you want it to be overly formal since you are addressing the people you work with everyday. At the same time, you do not want it to contain slang either. You would want the sentences to be short, polite, to-the-point, and written in a conversational style. In general, the tone of the memo should be neutral or positive, although it can sometimes be used to complain or even reprimand staff. No matter what, be very cautious and deliberate in your tone since you can never be certain who will read it.

Memos should be written in single-space, but using double spacing between paragraphs. The text should be adjusted to the left and in block form. Most memos should be less than a page long, although sometimes they can be several pages if you are exploring a complex issue and offering possible recommendations.

1. Date: You can either write the name of the month in full (March 20, 2018) or abbreviated (Mar. 20, 2018).
2. To: Unless told otherwise, always address people ranked above you by their title. If the situation is formal, use their full time; if informal, you may address them by their first names. If you work in a large office with multiple departments and it is not immediate obvious where the individual can be found, include an identifying tag after the name (Jennifer Smith, Education Policy Division). You can omit titles such as Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., Dean., etc., if your relationship with the person allows. When addressing several people, either list by alphabetic order or by hierarchy. If you are addressing a group too large to put everybody’s names, just address it to the group as appropriate.
3. From: This is where you would put your name. If the audience does not know who you are, your name should be followed by your job title or the department where you work (Steve Johnson, Human Resources). By hand, sign your initials to the right of your typed name.
4. Subject: The subject line should be brief and directed towards the precise audience so that the appropriate people know that they need to read it.
5. CC or C: If your memo needs to be sent to supervisors and others whom the memo might not be directed to but who should be informed anyway, you can add the “cc” line in the heading, next to it, or at the bottom of the memo.

The body of the memo contains the purpose for writing it so that the audience can understand why it is relevant to them. If the memo is more than a page long, the first paragraph should contain background information. Create an outline so that you can memo can stay focused. Do not concern yourself with the little details; you want the audience to understand the main points. Be short and direct.

There are two approaches that you can take in terms of organization of your memo: deduction or induction. Deduction involves presenting ideas from most to least important and assumes the reader has proper knowledge and background. Meanwhile, induction presents the ideas from least to most important. This is generally used when you need to deliver negative news or when the audience might not fully understand the background information.

If the memo is more than a couple of paragraphs long, it might be appropriate to include headings (written in bold) so that the audience understands the key idea.

Finish up the memo by inviting the audience to give feedback or ask for additional information. Although it is not necessary to conclude with a salutation as you would with a letter, do provide contact information where you can be reached. If your memo includes attached documents, note this at the bottom of the memo in case not all sheets reach the reader.