{"id":688,"date":"2021-03-30T18:44:26","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T18:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/?post_type=chapter&p=688"},"modified":"2022-07-25T19:31:47","modified_gmt":"2022-07-25T19:31:47","slug":"job-talks","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-englishcomp2\/chapter\/job-talks\/","title":{"raw":"Memos","rendered":"Memos"},"content":{"raw":"
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Learning Objectives<\/h3>\r\nIdentify characteristics of a memo\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nMemorandums, or memos, are quite similar to email messages.\u00a0Memos, like emails, also contain a \u201cTo\u201d and \u201cFrom,\u201d a meaningful subject line, and states the reason for the communication immediately in the message. Memos also require strong organization in the body of the message for readability, and a call for action at the end. However, memos differ due to stricter formatting conventions and do not require a closing phrase nor a signature.\r\n\r\nHere are two examples of traditional interoffice memos:\r\n
\r\n\r\nTo: Jason Harris\r\n\r\nFrom: Olivia Alvarez\r\n\r\nDate: March 1, 20XX\r\n\r\nSubject: Employee Appreciation Spotlight\r\n\r\nJason,\r\n\r\nOur yearly employee appreciation dinner will be held on Friday, June 10. Due to your excellent performance in the last year\u2014especially your work in the Northwest Region!\u2014we would like to feature you as one of our spotlight employees. As a part of this spotlight, we would love to give everyone a chance to get to know you better. If you are interested, please write a short (250 words or less) paragraph about yourself. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, here are a few question prompts:\r\n
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  • What is your favorite hobby?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n
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    • What is your greatest personal achievement (outside of work)?<\/li>\r\n \t
    • What is your favorite thing to eat?<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPlease let us know if you\u2019re interested by March 15, and if you are, please submit your paragraph by March 30.\r\n\r\nLooking forward to seeing you there!\r\nOlivia\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
      \r\n\r\nTo: All Employees\r\nFrom: Alyssa Johnson, Human Resources Director, Hammer Construction\r\nDate: 22 April 2021\r\nSubject: Social Media in the Workplace\r\n\r\nNowadays, social media is a prevalent part of our lives. Many of us use it to correspond with friends, family, and businesses. However, it has recently become a major issue in our company. Our executive leadership team has decided that to improve communication with our customers and increase productivity, employees will not be permitted to use social media on company equipment or time.\r\n\r\nA recent software audit showed that the average employee was logged into either Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn an average of 4 hours a day. While we realize that this does not mean the employee was actively scrolling, this number is clearly detrimental to our shared company mission. In order to foster a more productive work environment, we are adding firewalls to our network that will not allow these sites to be accessed on work computers during work hours. You may still use them on your personal devices on breaks and lunch hours. If you feel like you need one or more of these platforms to perform your job, please email me at ajohnson@hammerconstruction.org and we can discuss further.\r\n\r\nAnyone who is found to be bypassing the firewalls or not complying will be subject to the following discipline:\r\n
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      • First offense: written warning to be filed with HR<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Second offense: dock in pay based on offense<\/li>\r\n \t
      • Third offense: immediate dismissal from their job<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nWhile we understand that social media is a large platform for most, there is a time and place, and we cannot allow this many missed work hours to continue. Please understand that we are focused on the best interest of the company, and blocking social media sites is necessary to improve productivity. Thank you for understanding, and please send all questions or concerns to my office.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

        Write an Internal Memo<\/h2>\r\nSimilar to an email, you should pay attention to the following points when composing a memo:\r\n
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        • Audience<\/li>\r\n \t
        • Purpose<\/li>\r\n \t
        • Style<\/li>\r\n \t
        • Heading\r\n
            \r\n \t
          • Date<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Subject Line<\/li>\r\n \t
          • CC<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Body<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Format<\/li>\r\n \t
          • Closing<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

            Audience<\/h3>\r\nNot everyone needs to read every memo\u2014and most people don\u2019t want to sort through unnecessary mail\u2014so you should be considerate when deciding who to send your memo to. When deciding how formal or informal your tone should be, consider whether your recipients are supervisors, peers, subordinates, or some combination of those groups. And remember, your readers are busy. They don\u2019t have time to waste on long-winded, confusing, or disorganized information. That means your memo must be organized, informative, and succinct.\r\n

            Purpose<\/h3>\r\nThe purpose of a memo could be to announce a change in policy, an upcoming event, or a personnel action. They may solicit more information or request that someone take action. They may be written to persuade someone to support an initiative or change a policy. They can also be used to thank or praise someone.\r\n

            Style<\/h3>\r\nThe writing style seen in a memo is succinct and professional. You do not want to be pretentious or too formal if you are talking to your colleagues. Ostentatious language, jargon, or complicated syntax will make you sound stuffy and pompous. Instead, write short sentences in the active voice to maintain a cordial, straightforward, and conversational style. Generally, your tone should be neutral or positive, but there are cases where memos are used for complaints or reprimands. In these situations, use caution. You never know who will ultimately read the memo, so be aware of the effect of your words.\r\n

            Heading<\/h3>\r\nThe heading should include:\r\n
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            • Date:\u00a0Write the full name of the month (January 3, 2016) or its standard abbreviation (Jan. 3, 2016).<\/li>\r\n \t
            • Subject:\u00a0Make the\u00a0subject line concise and accurate, since that often determines where or how the memo will be filed and even if it will be read. (In some instances, this line will say \u201cRE:\u201d which is short for \u201cRegarding\u201d).<\/li>\r\n \t
            • CC:\u00a0List names of other people who will receive copies of your memo. The \u201ccc\u201d line can be placed in the heading, next to the heading, or at the bottom of the document. The term \u201ccc\u201d is short for \u201ccarbon copy,\u201d a holdover from the days when memos were written on a typewriter. Some writers now use a single \u201cc\u201d for \u201ccopy.\u201d This line is optional; it won\u2019t be found on every memo.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

              Body Paragraphs<\/h3>\r\nThe opening paragraph states\u00a0your purpose\u00a0for writing so that readers can quickly grasp the memo\u2019s content and significance to them. Focus your reader\u2019s attention on main ideas, not details and digressions. Be plain, direct, and brief and remember that most memos are less than a page.\r\n

              Format<\/h3>\r\nDecide on a pattern of organization that best suits your purpose. The two most common for\u00a0memos are deduction and induction. A deductive style of writing a memo presents ideas in decreasing order of importance and assumes the reader is acquainted with the topic. Most memos use this pattern. To write in a deductive manner, place supporting facts in subsequent sentences for readers who are unfamiliar with the subject. Background information should be presented last. A memo written in an inductive fashion presents ideas in increasing order of importance. If you must give bad news or if your reader may not understand the main idea without prior preparation, use this form. Lead up to the most important idea and then present that idea at the end of the memo.\r\n\r\nIf your memo is more than two or three paragraphs, you may want to add body headings for your body paragraphs. Use headings that capture the section\u2019s key topic and set them in bold.\r\n

              Closing<\/h3>\r\nFinish with a courteous and clear call for action. Tell your reader precisely what results you expect to follow from reading your memo. It may be helpful to include deadlines. Close the memo with an invitation to give feedback or request further information.\r\n
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              Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/62ff24b9-347b-4f11-8ccf-5349ea67d887\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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              TRY IT<\/h3>\r\n