Chabot College

1. Chabot College ELEC 99.05 Business Memos

2. 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.

3. Standard format • Organization (at top) • Header • To: • From: • CC: (optional) • Date: • Subject: • Body of memo…

4. Standard format example CHABOT COLLEGE Cisco Networking Academy M e m o r a n d u m TO: Terry Burgess FROM: William Threlfall DATE: January 22, 2001 SUBJECT: Cisco Academy Startup _______________________________________________________ Body text starts here...

5. Standard format • MS Word includes memo templates. • FILE | NEW • Then select the MEMOS tab • Your organization may have developed a standard memo template.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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).

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.