Writing a Memorandum

Purpose

A memorandum (memo) is used for internal communication within an organisation — sent between staff members or departments, never to external parties. Memos may:

Inform — announce a policy change, event, or update
Instruct — direct staff to take a specific action
Request — ask a department or individual for information or resources

Structure

MEMORANDUM — bold, centred heading at the top
To — name(s) or department(s) receiving the memo
From — your name and job title
Date — written in full
Subject — specific topic of the memo
Introduction — state the main purpose directly; no salutation
Body — elaborate the main idea; may be presented in bullet or paragraph form
Conclusion — summary, any recommendations, and further actions required
Close — your name, email address, and phone number

Key Conventions

Used for internal communication within an organisation — not sent to outsiders
No salutation (no "Dear…") and no complimentary close (no "Yours truly")
Formal but direct — state the purpose immediately in the introduction; avoid weak openers like "I am writing to…" — go straight to the point instead
Subject line should be specific — more precise than a letter's subject line

Warning

Though common in older memorandums, try not to use bullet points but instead continuous prose in the body of the memo. CSEC now typically prefers memos to be written in paragraph form, and bullet points can make the memo seem less formal.

Purpose

A memorandum (memo) is used for internal communication within an organisation — sent between staff members or departments, never to external parties. Memos may:

Inform — announce a policy change, event, or update
Instruct — direct staff to take a specific action
Request — ask a department or individual for information or resources

Structure

MEMORANDUM — bold, centred heading at the top
To — name(s) or department(s) receiving the memo
From — your name and job title
Date — written in full
Subject — specific topic of the memo
Introduction — state the main purpose directly; no salutation
Body — elaborate the main idea; may be presented in bullet or paragraph form
Conclusion — summary, any recommendations, and further actions required
Close — your name, email address, and phone number

Key Conventions

Used for internal communication within an organisation — not sent to outsiders
No salutation (no "Dear…") and no complimentary close (no "Yours truly")
Formal but direct — state the purpose immediately in the introduction; avoid weak openers like "I am writing to…" — go straight to the point instead
Subject line should be specific — more precise than a letter's subject line

Warning