(Letterhead)

Memo

Date: January 28, 2004

To: MCom 100W Students

From: Cynthia McCune, Instructor

Re: Writing Memorandums

cc: file

Although a memorandum is usually internal document, not a public one, it shares some key characteristics with news stories and news releases. Like them, a memo usually begins with summary-style opening paragraph that clearly and concisely states the most important information being presented.

This format allows the memo's recipient (often a busy supervisor or executive) to get an overview of the memo by reading the first paragraph only -- the same way an editor or newspaper reader uses the first paragraph of a news article to get the gist of the story.

The rest of the memo explains and elaborates on the opening or "lead" paragraph, as does the rest of a well-written news article or news release. In fact, it could be said that a good memo, like a good news article, is organized in inverted pyramid style, with the most important information at the top and the least important information at the end. Also, like a news article or news release, a memo is usually brief -- no more than two pages in length.

From the perspective of the writer, drafting a good memo requires many of the same organization and prioritization skills needed to write a good news article or news release. Another similarity is that writing a successful memo requires an understanding of the target audience and their interests and priorities.

There are differences, of course. For example, a memo is usually single-spaced, not double-spaced, and usually concludes with a summary paragraph. But it is clear that the memo has much in common with the news article or news release, and requires many of the same writing skills.