Characteristic of Successful Memos Successful memos generally share the features listed below: 1. Subject headings.

Memos contain such guideword headings as To, From, Date, and Subject. These headings help readers immediately know the date, the sender, and the purpose of the message. 2. Single topic. A successful memo discusses only one topic. Limiting the topic helps the reader concentrate on the subject and take action on the subject quickly. A single topic also makes it easy to file and retrieve the memo. 3. Conversational tone. The tone of memos tends to be conversational because both the writer and the reader are familiar with each other. Therefore, you may use ordinary words, first-person pronouns, and occasional contractions, like don't, I'm, you're, or we'll. Yet, this does not mean you should be casual with your writing. You shouldn't include any remark that you wouldn't make to the face of your colleagues. 4. Conciseness. As an efficient form of internal communication, memos contain only what you intend to convey. Often you do not have to provide background information when you are certain the reader knows about the subject discussed in the memo, nor do you need to make as much goodwill effort as you do in letters to your business partners outside of the organization.You should avoid wordy expressions and sentences. For example, don't use "because of the fact that," or "I am writing this memo to inform you that..." 5. Visual signalling. Effective memo writers highlight important words, phrases, points, and sections with numbers or bullets listed vertically; boldface or italics; headings and subheadings. Difference between a memo and letter format is different memos are short and relatively precise. letters are long memo are more direct than letters. memos are usually internal, but letters are not. memos are informal, letters are formal

Write a Memo Letter

1 Create the heading for your memo letter. The heading contains four sections: To, From, Date and Subject. These sections should be left-aligned on the page. Type the recipients of the letter, such as a specific person, department or entire company, after the word "To." When sending the memo to individual people, include their titles. On the next line, type your name after "From." On the next line after the word "Date," type the date you're sending out the memo. On the last line of the heading, type the word "Subject." Then, include a brief summary of the contents of the letter. The subject explains the purpose of the letter and gives the recipients an idea of what will be included in the memo. It's usually three to five words long. 2 Begin with an explanation of the purpose of the memo. Skip the salutation. This portion of the letter should expand on the subject. The length of the opening paragraph should be no more than a few sentences. 3 Write the body of the memo. This includes detailed information about the purpose of the memo. It outlines the issue, problem, policy change, project or any other reason the memo is being sent out. This section needs to include detail, but try to keep the memo at a one page length. The contents of the memo should be single spaced. Skip one line between each paragraph. Keep the font size large enough that it can be easily read, usually 11- or 12-point font. 4 End the memo letter with a closing paragraph. This paragraph wraps up the memo with recommendations and what steps the recipients should take next. Don't use a closing such as "Sincerely" or your signature. If there are attachments, include the name of the attachment after the word "Attached" at the bottom of the memo below the last paragraph. Skip one line before typing "Attached."