Chabot College
ELEC 99.05
Business Memos
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Effective business memos
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Follow a standard format.
Have one page.
Make point in opening paragraph.
State what you want.
State when.
Include contact for further info.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Standard format
• Organization (at top)
• Header
– To:
– From:
– CC: (optional)
– Date:
– Subject:
• Body of memo…
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Standard format example
CHABOT COLLEGE
Cisco Networking Academy
Memorandum
TO:
Terry Burgess
FROM:
William Threlfall
DATE:
January 22, 2001
SUBJECT:
Cisco Academy Startup
_______________________________________________________
Body text starts here...
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Standard format
• MS Word includes memo templates.
– FILE | NEW
– Then select the MEMOS tab
• Your organization may have developed a
standard memo template.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
One page
• Long documents discourage reader.
• If you have essential detail, such as
statistics or technical specifications, attach it
as an appendix and keep your memo to 1
page. This detail probably won’t be read,
but it may lend credibility to your memo.
• Common mistake: Memo looks too long;
goes unread.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Make point in 1st paragraph
• Your audience may not read past the first
paragraph.
• Common mistake: Key point is not
presented until late in memo; reader misses
it.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
State what you want
• Be sure you clearly state what you want the
reader to do.
• Be specific.
• Common mistake: Memo states problem but
never spells out what you want; reader does
nothing.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
State when you want it
• Be sure you clearly state when the
requested action is needed.
• If there is a deadline, make it clear.
• Be specific.
• Common mistake: Date needed or deadline
omitted; reader delays action.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Contact for further info.
• Tell the reader who to contact for
clarifications and further information.
• Provide the contact:
– name
– phone number
– E-mail address
• Common mistake: Contact omitted; confused
readers don’t know where to turn.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Example - poor memo (body)
Too many users of the College’s Banner system are logging in and
staying logged in all day long, even though they are not using the
system actively.
Failure to log off when you’ve finished your work causes serious
system problems. It ties up Oracle database licenses, preventing
their use by others. It slows system response by consuming memory
(2,048 KB of system memory remains allocated to each user, even
inactive ones). It sometimes prevents other users from even logging
in because all system resources are busy.
Your cooperation is necessary to fix this crucial problem.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Example - good memo (body)
MIS is seeking a change in your use of the College’s Banner system.
Beginning Monday, 1/29/01, all users are requested to log off during
periods when they are not using the system actively.
Though this change may present a minor inconvenience, it will
eliminate the problems with system performance and availability that
we have all experienced in the past week.
We will greatly appreciate your cooperation and will be monitoring
compliance with this request.
If you have questions or want further information, contact Bill Williams
at extension 9999 (williams@chabot.cc.ca.us).
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Memo assignment
Use MS Word
Print a copy to turn in for bonus credit
Don’t leave a copy in My Documents on your curriculum PC.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Memo assignment
To: Chabot Faculty
From: (Your Name), Network Services
Write the body of the memo from these facts:
• You will be visiting their office sometime in the next
week to upgrade their PC’s network interface card.
• You will make appointments for the work, but only if
they phone you by Friday to set an appointment.
Otherwise, you will drop in when their office is
unoccupied.
• You need to have easy access to the PC case;
obstacles must be removed.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY
Effective business memos
•
•
•
•
•
•
Follow a standard format.
Have one page.
Make point in opening paragraph.
State what you want.
State when.
Include contact for further info.
CISCO NETWORKING ACADEMY