The impacts of ineffective internal communication in organizations exceed significantly damaging extents. Employees misunderstanding or lacking necessary information required to perform their tasks can result in costly damages. This can lead to low morale as they might feel confused and therefore, unproductive. Moreover, if your organization or business is customer-focused, then this issue can be even more damaging. This is because if the workforce itself is uninformed of important information or updates, they can not effectively assist clients or customers either. Therefore, the difference that effective, detailed, and smooth-flowing information makes within organizations or companies can not be neglected. A memo is a document that you use to relay important information to your employees pertaining to a task, event, project, or more. It is usually straightforward and concise.
It can convey multiple types of information requiring urgent attention, depending on the situation. We will discuss some of these types in this article for your additional clarity too.
Considering that memos are often required urgently, it can be a smart decision to keep the templates available for official usage. A template is basically a version of the same document with empty spaces that can be filled according to the situation and be used in the same manner.
If the thought of using a template interests you, then we’ve got you covered, as we are providing multiple of them for free along with this article.
What a Memo Is?
A memo is an official document that team managers, supervisors, and departmental heads use to disperse essential information among their team or department.
Although the company official writing it can vary, the basic concept is that it is usually somebody holding a responsible position.
Typically, the purpose of a memo is to communicate or convey information belonging to either of the following types:
Announcements
They are often used to announce important information to the workforce or part of it.
EXAMPLE
Policies being changed, organizational restructuring decisions, a new hire or promotion and upcoming events are examples of such announcements.
Reminders
The document also proves to be very effective for sending reminders to a specific team or its particular member(s). These reminders can be about meeting certain deadlines, conducting meetings or performing any other relevant tasks as planned. Sending such a reminder in a memo or filled template can help the employee(s) be more informed and organized.
Instructions
You can especially use it to convey essential instructions or guidelines pertaining to how you want a specific task to be completed. You can provide a detailed outline of the process to follow, and/or any methods to consider.
NOTE
We recommend you to add a short note offering your assistance or guidance if required by the end of such a memo. Doing so could result in increased employee morale and therefore increased productivity.
Reporting
Use it if you want to track the progress of employees or your specific team and ensure smooth continuous operations. It can serve as an effective reporting tool that isn’t too time-consuming or distracting for your employees to prepare. This ease in preparation for them could help them focus and perform better on the project they are involved with. Using this document to attain progress or other types of reports from your employees or team members also improves the element of resolution of issues and addressing of concerns in due time.
How to Make a Memo Template for Your Company
Preparing a template that you can continually use is not a difficult task.
However, there are a few basics that are essential for the note or document to contain in order for you to attain maximum effectiveness:
The first component to consider in the process of making a template for your organization is a professional header. It is obvious that the header would contain information that represents your organization. Furthermore, the header would contain your information as the sender of the memo, the recipients’ information such as their department or related project, and the date and purpose/subject of this document. The subject line especially becomes necessary to include if you are sending an electronic version of it (email).
Salutation
A professional salutation, depending on the category the recipient(s) fall in is required next. You can either adopt either a general or specific approach here.
Introduction
Here onwards, begin focusing on the main objective of writing the memo. Firstly, the introduction section will describe the information covered within it briefly, and then the decided plan forward considering it.
While describing the main topic part, provide the reader with its background too. The reason behind this is that the reader will then understand the importance of it.
It will also sum up the entire document in a few words. Although you must ensure that you write this concisely and to the point.
Body
The body of your memo should contain the details of the information you are relaying in a clear and organized manner. You must be as descriptive here as possible, because this will be considered the main part. It will also be paid the most heed to by the readers. Write this section considering the type of information you are communicating.
EXAMPLE
If you are giving instructions or highlighting some action items requiring response, ensure that they include necessary details. These details could be focused on certain deliverables required by a specific deadline, etc.
The receiver(s) of the memo will be acting in response to this section directly. In case the information being conveyed falls in the category of an update or announcement, you can simply mention it without describing it extraordinarily.
TIP
Divide the paragraphs by headings and/or bullet points to improve the readability of the content in this section.
Conclusion
The concluding paragraph of a memo should sum up the highlighted factors, and assist the recipients further. This can be done by providing the names and/or contact information of the relevant individuals if necessary. You can also state your availability to respond to queries in this section. In the end, add a professional closing like “Sincerely”.
TIP
You can also add an additional section based on the confidentiality and privacy concerns associated with the memo in the end. This section will inform the recipients about the extent to which they are required to consider these factors.
Memo Sample
Provided below is a sample of a memo that you can analyze and/or use for communication within your company:
Sample
ABC Company
25th January, 20XX
Subject: Staff announcement
To: HR Department
Dear employees,
I am enthused to announce that we have liaised with a well-reputed staffing-agency; XYZ workforce. We had been struggling in the area of suitable recruitment for the past couple of months and required suitable recruits for essential positions in the company. Although the hiring team gave their best, there had been demographic-related issues due to which we were constantly failing to find the suitable candidates. Regardless, the dedicated efforts of our beloved team members are appreciated. However, moving forward, a team meeting will be held on 29th January, 20XX to discuss the details of the new screening and assessment process to be adopted by the HR team. Moreover, we will discuss additional strategies to maximize the effectiveness of this collaboration.
If you have any queries pertaining to this project, feel free to contact me at my extension 8800, or my P.A; Ms Sarah Adams on 8810.
Also note that the readers of this document are advised to maintain its privacy and consider the updates described in it confidential. Disclosure of any of the aforementioned plans to any unconcerned employee shall result in disciplinary action.
Regards,
John Doe,
CEO ABC company.
TIP
We encourage you to focus on the designing factors that reflect professionalism in your memo. These include choosing and incorporating company branding elements, such as logo and theme colors, etc. We also recommend following up with the concerned employees afterwards to ensure being on the same page.
Free Templates
Conclusion
A memo is an official document or note that professionals use within organizations to convey or spread essential internal information among the workforces. This document can convey a diverse range of types of information, including announcements, updates, action items and instructions, etc. you must ensure aptness and precision in writing this note, and focus on conveying the message as clearly as possible. This is because the concerned individuals have to act according to it in urgent situations. The main components in a memo or its template are header, salutation, introduction, body, conclusion and closing. You can download our free templates and save precious time.
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