Format of a Business Memo and Sample (GC01188)

Unit 3 LO 3

3.1 The learner should select the most appropriate format for each document

A business Memo

A business memo is a standard form of written communication in academics, government, and industry. The memo is a formal method of written communication with a well-established format and style.

Format of a business memo

Identify the purpose of the memo

Before start creating an own memo template, it would be useful to know what the general purposes of a memo are. Memos are formal documents used in an office or business setting to communicate with the employees (Gulin,2018).

Memos are mainly for internal communication and are very rarely given to clients, customers, or the general public. It can easily be made on the computer through sample memo templates, which are available on this website.

Organizing the memo

The memo is organized according to one of two strategies: Direct and indirect.

• The direct organization strategy presents the purpose of the document in the first paragraph (sometimes the first sentence) and provides supporting details in the body.
• The indirect organization strategy opens with relevant, attention-getting details that do not directly state the purpose of the document. The purpose is revealed in the body of the message, usually sandwiched between supporting details.

The direct approach is used for good news or routine communication; the indirect approach is used for persuasive, sales, or bad news messages. A directly stated purpose is welcome in good news or routine messages but could be viewed as abrupt or insensitive in bad news or persuasive message. When the audience is not receptive to the message, it is best to lead up to the purpose gradually (WikiHow, 2018).

Language

Early attempts to characterize the language of memo tended writing based standard of communication, though almost all contemporary studies seem to agree that language use is influenced by both equally or else falls into a separate category outside of this dichotomy.  It is useful to look at memo in relation to this binary categorization, however, as a means of understanding how it is utilized, and thus shaped, as well as how it influences the use of language contained therein. Formal language is used in a memo (WikiHow, 2018).

Our Recommended Resources:

How to Format a Business Memorandum with Example

Writing a Business Memo

Font style and size

Effective font size is big enough to easily read but doesn’t take up too much space. To create a memo body text should be 11-point to 12-point font, 12-point font is usually the reliable choice because it’s incredibly common in the business world. Headings, on the other hand, can be larger than a 12-point font if need to add emphasis. Increasing the heading size to a 14-point or 16-point font is usually more than enough to make the heading stand out (WikiHow, 2018).

Margin for memo

At first to set-top and bottom margins of one inch. Set left and right margins of at least one inch. For short documents, use wider margins to improve the appearance on the page. It is essential to do not to justify the right margin.

Single-space document

It is needed to leave two blank lines between the subject of the memo and the first line of the memorandum. Business memos are usually not double-spaced. In order to keep the page number down, it is essential to consider single-spacing, but leave spaces between individual paragraphs or sections (Gulin,2018)……………..

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