Department of Interdisciplinary Engineering

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www.mst.edu/~jthomas

Memo to: IDE 120 Students

From: Jeff Thomas, PE

Subject: Memo Pointers

Memorandums, or memos, are a primary method of communication between engineers and their colleagues, superiors, subordinates, and clients. There are two primary reasons to acquire good memo writing skills.

1. Effective communication: In order for the reader to understand the information conveyed, the memo must:

a. be presented in a logical manner,

b. be written clearly and concisely,

c. be formatted to provide basic information quickly and easily, and

d. not have features detracting from pertinent information (i.e. improper spelling, poor grammar, etc.)

2. A positive impression: Make a positive impression on those reading the memo. Remember you will not be present to explain what is meant when the memo is read. In many cases those reading the memo may not even know you. A poorly written memo provides the reader with a negative impression of you and the point being made.

This memo is intended to provide information that will help improve your memo writing skills. It should be used as a guide for format and content. There are a number of formats that can be used in memo writing. The example shown below is the format to be used in this class.

Memo to: <addressee>

From: <person writing the memo>

Subject: <what the memo is about>

Date: <when the memo was written>

CC: <others receiving a copy of the memo>

<Body>

Following are specific comments for each section of the memo:

1. Header Titles:[1] Items TO through CC should be aligned at the document’s left margin. Subject items (noted with brackets < >) for each header title should be vertically aligned. This gives a professional appearance and makes it easy to locate important items.

a. Memo to: Individual from whom you expect response or to whom you are providing information; may be more than one addressee, however, in most cases when you have multiple addressees, a committee or group name is appropriate.

b. From: Name of person who authored memo; team name goes here if memo was produced as a team; also identifies to whom addressee and others should respond.

c. Subject: Condensed title describing main idea of memo.

d. Date: Date memo was written or distributed.

e. CC: (optional field) Includes names of others receiving a copy of memo; these people are not expected to respond directly to memo.

2. <Introduction> Introductory paragraph telling recipient why document is being sent.

3. <Body> Where points are discussed, information is provided and questions are answered; should be single spaced.

4. <Closing> May take several forms depending on purpose of memo, such as:

a. including “thank you” if appropriate,

b. requesting or suggesting specific actions or responses, or

c. suggesting additional sources of information.

5. <Appendices> Provides supporting information important to reader; content varies, but generally contains information not critical enough to be in memo body; examples include spreadsheets, graphs of data, tables, etc.

6. <Attachments> Supporting documents, perhaps written by others, providing information pertinent to purpose of memo.

A few additional comments regarding memos are in order.

1. Purpose – May serve several functions; however, communication and documentation are primary functions.

2. Scope – Should cover one subject; write multiple memos if there are multiple subjects.

3. Length – Body can be a few paragraphs or 10-15 pages; towards the upper end of this range it is advisable to change from memo format to report format.[2]

4. Person – As with all technical documents, memos should be written in third person; first or second person is rarely used and then only when trying to make a point about personal opinions.

5. Neatness of Figures and Tables – Figures and tables should be computer generated.[3]

6. Layout – Requires thought and preparation if material is to be presented in logically and clearly.

7. Proofreading – After finishing the document, print out a copy and take a break; come back later and read it from the beginning, making corrections on the hard copy as you read. THEN make corrections on the electronic document. This process helps locate often missed errors. Finally, spell-check the document (remember spell-checkers do not catch errors such as “there” instead of “their”).

To help you get better grades on your memos:

· double check your assignment handout to make sure you have included everything.

· print them out and put them together before you come to class.

· check previously graded memos and make any necessary changes.

Writing a good memo is not something that happens without considerable work. As engineers, you will write memos for your entire professional career. If you spend time to develop good memo writing skills, it will pay off not only with your IDE 120 grade, but also in your career.

Team Name

Name One, Title (email)

Name Two, Title (email)

Name Three, Title (email)

Name Four, Title (email)

Memo to: Recipient’s Name

From: Author’s Name or Team Name

Subject: Subject

Date: Date

Body 1 - Refer to figures and tables

Figure 1: Figure Title (Not a sentence)

Body 2 - Refer to figures and tables

Table 1: Table Title (Not a sentence)

Appendix A: Appendix Title (Not a sentence)

Appendix B: Appendix Title (Not a sentence)

Appendix A: Appendix Title (Not a sentence)

Body 1 - Explain Figure A1 whenever necessary

Figure A1: Figure Title (Not a sentence)

Body 2 - Explain Table A1 whenever necessary

Table A1: Table Title (Not a sentence)

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[1] PLEASE NOTE: The TO, FROM, and CC fields do not contain addresses. If addresses are required to identify individuals then a memo is not the proper form of communication (In this case use a letter or a letter with a memo attachment).

[2] Reports include Tables of Contents, Lists of Figures, etc.; these are not included in memos.

[3] PLEASE NOTE: In some specific cases, hand drawings are acceptable. These cases will be specifically discussed in class. Any hand drawing must be neat and legible.