Even though time remains constant, it always feels like there’s too little of it. With COVID thrown into the mix, it seems like the boundaries between today and tomorrow are constantly blurred. This is especially true if you frequently participate in online meetings: one meeting bleeds into the next, one presentation after another.
For those of us with short attention spans, we thankfully have memos to help us out – convenient little documents that keep track of the key ideas and details shared. Although memos are commonplace at corporations and large companies, they can often be a luxury at smaller businesses, requiring an (un)willing sacrifice participant to draft. What do we do when we inevitably draw the short straw? Join Wordsmith and let’s learn how to write our own memos!
Why memos?
Jeff Bezos is many things. The world’s richest man, the founder of Amazon, the guy who decided it was a good time to go to space during a pandemic and when Amazon workers were striking and unionising… the list goes on. Although you wouldn’t be wrong in saying that he lives in his own little reality, he did implement a very special and memorable rule for Amazon way back in 2004:
He banned PowerPoint presentations in favour of memos, and insisted that every meeting start with a reading of the meeting memo in silence.
In the book The Amazon Management System by Ram Charan and Julia Yang, Bezos explained that “the reason writing a good four-page memo is harder than ‘writing’ a 20-page PowerPoint is because the narrative structure of a good memo forces better thought and understanding of what’s more important than what, and how things are related… PowerPoint-style presentations somehow give permission to gloss over ideas, flatten out any sense of relative importance and ignore the interconnectedness of ideas.”
We’d argue that a good PowerPoint presentation also requires a proper narrative structure to be effective, but perhaps Bezos sat through too many dull presentations with the speaker reading off incoherent slides.
Regardless, Bezos wasn’t wrong in believing that memos require proper thought and understanding. Even with an article like the one you’re reading now, it takes planning to figure out how each point should be laid out and flowed into the next. Since the writing process often involves much editing and rewriting, Bezos believed the effort spent on drafting memos would help presenters develop a more thorough understanding the topic and enable them to catch any fallacies in their logic. Furthermore, a memo is inherently concise, meaning there’s no room to hide behind fancy slides.
Besides recapping meetings and presentations, Indeed also identifies several instances where memos are effective:
· Notifying employees about new policies or changes
· Providing updates on projects or goals
· Making a general company-related announcement
· Making a request of all employees
· A reminder for awaiting tasks
What goes in a memo?
Given that memos are a form of business correspondence, there’s more to it than just a paragraph of recaps and explanations! According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab , the key components of a good memo include:
The header:
1. “To:” and “From:” lines – informs readers who the memo is addressed to and who wrote it, but do be sure that the recipients’ titles are formal and accurate.
2. The Date and Subject – if people receive multiple memos across a day, this helps them to tell at a glance when it was sent, and what it involves.
The opening and context:
“Before indulging the reader with details and the context, give the reader a brief overview of what the memo will be about,” explains Purdue. After reading the first paragraph or two, readers should know:
1. The purpose of the memo
2. Relevant context and background information, including the problem being addressed
3. Identifying the assignment or task to be done
In terms of context, this translates to the market research, analysis and insights section of a presentation. However, it’s important to only include relevant information. For example, if your team performed market research on the latest preferences of a target demographic, you don’t need to explain why or how the research was done – just focus on the data that supports your business case.
“Often times, it is sufficient to use the opening of a sentence to completely explain the context, such as ‘Through market research and analysis…’” writes Purdue.
The task(s):
This is where you highlight the purpose of the memo and explain what you have done to address the problem, or what decision needs to be made by the reader.
Purdue recommends, “Include only as much information as is needed by the decision-makers in the context, but be convincing that a real problem exists.” If there are multiple subjects that need to be addressed, divide the subjects clearly and present them in order of importance.
Discussion
Then, you need to explain what made you recommend so and so in the summary section. This is where you provide the meat of your memo: supporting details, facts and research behind your ideas and arguments.
The closing statement:
Be courteous and identify any next steps that you or your reader will need to take. “Make sure you consider how the reader will benefit from the desired actions and how you can make those actions easier,” adds Purdue.
Executive summary
You might consider opening your memo with a brief executive summary – this allows readers to quickly decide if it’s worthwhile to continue reading. If your memo is short (less than a page), skip the summary, as it would only make the memo more repetitive and longer than it needs to be.
While you don’t need to make every memo as detailed as the ones that Jeff Bezos demands, being able to organise your thoughts and present them clearly and concisely is a skill that will pay off in the long run. If you ever need a hand getting your memo “just right”, your local wordsmiths would be very happy to help!