Is a memorandum the same as a letter? The simple answer is a big NO.
Memos are
never the same as letters. If that is the case then what are the differences between
memos and letters?
This article has one sole purpose to take a look at the various differences between
memos and letters. But before we go ahead looking into the differences, let us first take
some time to define what both a letter and memorandum mean.
What is a memorandum? The short form for memorandum is memo. You can either
call it memorandum or memo, but the latter is more commonly used. The plural is
memos or memoranda/memorandums. A memo can be simply defined as a short
official note that is given to a person or group of persons within the same business
organization in order to inform them about something important.
What is a letter? We have two types of letter. We have the formal and informal letter.
In this discussion, we are going to focus on the formal letter which can also be called the
business letter. A business letter can be defined as an official message which is
addressed and put in an envelope and sent by mail to the recipient. A business letter can
either be handwritten or printed. These days with the advent of technology, business
letters are generally printed.
Now that we have taken a look at the different definitions of both memos and letters, let
us now see the differences that lie between them.
Differences between memos and business letters
Memos are never sent out of the company or organization, but letters can be both
sent to recipients within the organization or outside the organization.
The information in a memo is concise and straight to the point. A memo will only
focus on the most pertinent issues. But letters on the other hand are more
detailed and often elaborate more on the important issues to be done or
addressed.
Memos are very short; letters are generally lengthier than memos.
Memos are normally sent to the recipient(s) by the organizations messenger, but
letters are normally put in envelopes and posted via mail.
Memos do not contain addresses, but business letters must contain addresses. In
a business letter both the senders address and the recipients address must be
put.
A letter can be more private than a memo.
Last but not least, the features of memos are massively different from the features
of business letters.
The above-mentioned are the common differences between memos and business letters.
Both memos and letters are used frequently in every well organized business
organization.
Margins
Set margins to 1 inch all around for longer letters and 1 inches all around for
shorter ones. Sometimes, however, "it is more important to establish a picture
frame or blank space surrounding the page of text" according to the authors of
Handbook of Technical Writing, in which case modify margins accordingly. Adjust
memo margins to 1inch on the top and bottom and 1 inches on the right and
left sides.
Style
Letters may use either full block or modified-block style. If the paper has
letterhead, use full block style, aligning all text at the 1 inch left margin. If the
paper does not have letterhead, provide your business address and date in a
single block; place it and the closing at the beginning of center, aligning the
remaining text at the left. On memos, center your department's name and directly
underneath the word "Memorandum", capitalizing both.
Heading
If the paper does not have letterhead, include an address block and an inside
address. Omit your name from the address block, spell out street and state
names, and end with the date. Skip two spaces and begin the inside address.
Start with the recipient's name, title, and address. For memos, headings include
the following: to, from, date, and subject, with a colon and one blank space after
each. Senders should initial their names.
Greetings
In a letter, place the greetings two lines below the heading. Greet a specific
person and add a colon. Unlike a letter, salutations are not used in memos, which
begin by directly stating the purpose of the document instead.
Body Paragraphs
When writing a letter, body paragraphs begin two spaces below the heading. Use
single spacing within the paragraph and add two blank spaces between
paragraphs. Memos often contain headings and lists, which may use numbers or
bullets to summarize main points.
Closing and Signature Block
Close with the words sincerely or cordially yours. Leave four blank lines, and
then include your name and honorifics. Below that place your title. Skip two lines
for additional information, such as reference initials, enclosures, or copy
notations. Memos do not contain a closing or signature.
An executive summary, sometimes known as a management summary, is a short document or
section of a document, produced for business purposes, that summarizes a longer report or
proposal or a group of related reports in such a way that readers can rapidly become acquainted
with a large body of material without having to read it all. It usually contains a brief statement of
the problem or proposal covered in the major document(s), background information, concise
analysis and main conclusions. It is intended as an aid to decision-making by managers[1][2] and
has been described as possibly the most important part of a business plan.[3] They must be short
and to the point.
An executive summary differs from an abstract in that an abstract will usually be shorter and is
intended to provide a neutral overview or orientation rather than being a condensed version of
the full document. Abstracts are extensively used in academic research where the concept of the
executive summary would be meaningless. "An abstract is a brief summarizing statement... read
by parties who are trying to decide whether or not to read the main document", while "an
executive summary, unlike an abstract, is a document in miniature that may be read in place of
the longer document".[4]
Meeting minutes are the written or recorded documentation that is used to inform attendees and nonattendees of the happenings during the meeting. The meeting minutes are generally taken or recorded
during a meeting so that participants have a record of what happened during the meeting.
Minutes usually include:
the names of the participants,
the agenda items covered,
decisions made by the participants,
the follow-up actions committed to by participants,
due dates for the completion of commitments , and
any other events or discussions worth documenting for future review or history.
Exemplary meeting minutes focus on decisions made during the meeting and commitments made by
the participants. The commitments are accompanied by due dates and any other detail necessary for
shared understanding by meeting participants.
Effective meeting minutes for the typical business meeting do not need to record every discussion.
They also do not need to, and shouldn't, state who said what. (Recognize that this rule is different for
other types of meetings in such situations as legal action, court hearings, and so forth. These minutes
do require an exact record of the conversation and statements.) But, your typical workplace meeting
does not.
Ideally, meeting minutes are disseminated to meeting paricipants within 24 hours of the meeting. The
minutes serve as a reminder of the commitments made during the meeting. They help participants
transfer their meeting commitments to their calendars and to do lists.
You'll want to review your prior meeting's minutes at the start of the next meeting so that people can
check them for correctness and next steps.
Meeting minutes are an effective contributor to successful meetings when minutes are appropriately
written and distributed in a timely manner.
An Endorsement is when an individual or organization agrees to promote a brand or an organization. The
Endorsement can be in the form of either payments or sponsorships or giving the name to increase sales
or attract attention. These days all sportsmen, movie stars and the whos who agree to endorse products
or brands at a price.
An Endorsement Letter is the one that is handed over to such individuals or organizations confirming
them as the endorsees for a fixed period of time. This is a kind of contract between the organization and
the endorsee that is mutually beneficial in terms of brand positioning for the organization and financial
benefit for the endorsee.
DOS AND DONTS OF ENDORSEMENT LETTER
An Endorsement Letter should be brought out only once the detailing of the deal or contract are
finalized
The Endorsement Letter is the formal written document for both the involved parties so it should
be carefully worded
An Endorsement Letter should be signed by both parties with a common neutral witness to
authenticate the existence of the letter
It should have the date clearly mentioned on it when it is being given out
The date from when the endorsement is effective should also be clearly highlighted in the letter
An Endorsement Letter should be brief and to the point but should include all the fine print of the
deal
The language of the letter should be purely formal as the nature of the letter demands it
The date when the deal ends should also form an important part of the letter to indicate when it is
due for renewal
A copy of the letter should be handed over to the legal departments of both the involved parties
The letter should always be typed
One must ensure that there are no grammatical or punctuation errors
What is being endorsed should be clearly mentioned in the Endorsement Letter to leave no room
for any ambiguity or point for argument
