To: Students
From: Jide Wintoki

Re: Writing Effective Executive Memos

By following a few simple guidelines, your memos will be able to communicate a large amount of information in a clear and useful manner. The central principal underlying memo format is that the reader may have little time, may already be familiar with many of the details, and will probably use the memo to assist with later recall of its contents.

There are three basic guidelines to follow.

Focus the Memo

Your memo must be short, direct and clear. In fact, for this class, unless otherwise stated: memos must be no more than one page in length (not counting exhibits). This will aid the reader in processing the critical information quickly. The memo is like a sales pitch – you have only a brief instant to make an impression and convince the reader. A few suggestions: ♦ Put the recommendation (conclusion, suggestion or result) at the top ♦ Discuss only the most important reasons supporting you recommendation ♦ Do not bother with any fancy formatting – format above is just fine

Organize the Memo

Organization accomplishes two things: it helps the reader understand the material and it facilitates subsequent review of the memo. Good organization allows the reader to skip what he or she already knows and focus on what is new. A few suggestions: ♦ Use headings and font changes to delineate parts, reference exhibit numbers when you discuss analysis in the memo. ♦ Use bullet points when listing a set of facts that support a given point ♦ The memo is for your reasoning and the development of your position, a comprehensive description of what you did in your analysis should be in the exhibits. ♦ You need to have text to guide the reader (do not present just a list of facts without an organizing framework), at the