A company memo is one of the most crucial components in keeping a valid and more than effective communication within the company. They are essentially quick and precise papers that distribute required information to workers, keeping them informed of current developments and events. They might refer to a specific department, a shift in attitude, or business regulations. They are also an exchange of info within the organization and help coordinate the whole operation more productively. In short, to efficiently do your job as you are supposed to and to keep all the employees well updated on recent happenings, you’ll need to educate yourself on the manner in which they are written with the purpose of keeping it “on spot”. A lack of crucial communication, mostly due to common misunderstandings, harms the whole business and is easily avoidable. Read on as we’ll discuss 7 useful tips on how to write the perfect memo.
Table of Contents
At the top of the document
First of all, you’ll need to start with the basic information and you can format the memo in accordance with your own personal preferences and company policies in terms of font size, style, color, and other “ technicalities”. However, when it comes to date, subject, to/from, these are essential points you can never skip. This is a common form, summarizing, in short, the date you’ll send it, to whom and from whom, and, of course, the topic is more of a title, one line, or phrase. You’ll come up with a brief description of what the memo is about before going into more detail about the content.
Keep it short and on point
As said at the beginning, a company’s memo is written for the sole purpose of informing your co-workers or employees on changes happening within the company, with the final goal of keeping up the good communication. However, people often tend to write their memos in a vague manner, not readable, understandable, and with a lot of questions between the lines making them impossible to be understood properly. Therefore, the next piece of advice is probably the best we can give- keep it short and on point. This means, transmitting the message in a clear, short, precise manner without any underlying questions. You may learn more at https://grammarhow.com, and you’ll have a memo with all the information you need without having to read it twice and still not understanding what it’s about. For example, if the memo is revolving around shorter working hours due to upcoming holidays, you’ll write something like: Due to the holidays coming up, the company will be working shorter shifts, and then you’ll precise the time frame and hours without going too much into details or sugar-coating it with “fancy” words. Once you master the art of proper short messages, you won’t have to answer additional questions from co-workers or employees coming up to your office.
The form of the content
Yes, as previously said, the information should be brief and accurate, but how can this be accomplished? Simply, the first sentence of the memo should be the opening line and you’ll state what the memo is all about, shorter working hours for example. Then you’ll reveal any additional information such as “ first shift from/to”, “ second shift from/to”, keeping it simple. You conclude with any pertinent information, rather than more explanations of the previously mentioned information, such as “the timetable status remains unchanged till,” and you close with a small salute of thanks. This structure should help you achieve the goal we talked about.
Think of the one’s reading
You are talking to your audience, in this case, employees, therefore make sure to convey the message in a tone and manner understandable to them. Make sure to further highlight the most important parts of info, and even bold them if needed to grab their attention instantly. Also, make sure to use the right channel of communication, an email is surely most effective in transmitting the message to a larger number of people in the shortest amount of time. You can also go for social media platforms as a lot of companies use them more often and have proven to be a better channel of communication. Also, when sending memos via email, make sure the tone is right, in accordance with an email, while with social media (WhatsApp groups, etc.), a more relaxed manner is preferable.
Choose the timing to send it
To be sure your memo will be read by everyone, you must choose the right timing, thereby ensuring the memo will be received by the vast majority, if not all. Breaks are usually the greatest time to check your phone because individuals utilize that time to do it rather than at the start and end of the shift.
Do not add additional information not relevant to the current topic
Sometimes, and we’ve seen it all, you’ll notice an additional sentence in a memo that says “also” and contains information that isn’t related to the present issue. Although these digressions are with the intent of saving time and space, you better avoid them as most times it is either read wrong or not understood. We recommend choosing some time to send it separately.
End with a signature and closure
If there is anything left to say, that could not be said at the beginning of the content, make sure to say it on the closure. Sometimes it can be an expression of regret or gratitude, or just one additional piece of info, and sing it for legitimacy.
We hope you found this post helpful and that it will assist you in creating the finest memo for your firm.
