Memos are an effective mode of business communication 

A memo is a written document used for internal business communications.  It is brief – usually one page – and is distributed in hard copy form.  It is used to provide information, persuade to take action, record information, or make a request. 

Effective memos focus on the needs and interests of the reader.  To be most effective the memo should be well-organized and easy to understand.  Clear, concise, and credible are three words that describe an effective memo. 

Memos are targeted to a particular audience and only cover one subject.  Listed below are some situations in which memos are typically used. 

• Communicate policy changes to employees
• Provide details about upcoming meetings
• Give managers information about project details
• Ask employees to provide information
• Inform executives of planned actions
• Summarize meetings for those who did not attend
• Motivate employees to participate in events or programs 

Is the frequent use of e-mails making the memo obsolete?  Maybe this is the case in some businesses, but a memo can be formatted to be more formal.  And in certain cases a formal mode of communication is absolutely necessary.  Besides in-boxes are often bombarded with e-mails, so a memo might have a better chance of grabbing and holding the target audience’s attention.