WRITING

RESOURCE

MEMOS AND E-MAILS

Routine messages in business settings happen at regular intervals: daily, weekly, monthly,
or quarterly. Memorandums (memos) and E-mails are concise messages used for
internal communication in a business. They are used between employees and between
managers and employees.

Because memos and e-mails are used for quick communication, they need to be focused,
clear and to the point. Therefore, you need to include very specific information in order
for your message to get across accurately and effectively.

Memos

All memos have the same basic components giving the receiver specific information
about an action that needs to be done, or simply to relay a message.

Here is an example of a typical business memo:

Memorandum
To: Humber College Writing Centre
From: Jerry Thomas, HSF PR Manager
Date: August 15, 2023
R: Group Orientations and Campus Tours for New Humber Students

This is to inform you that the HSF Public Relations department will be conducting small group
orientation sessions as well as campus tours during orientation week.

Every day, starting September 4th through September 7th, HSF volunteers will take new Humber
students around campus to inform them of the different services available to them to help them be
successful in their programs of study.

There will be 4 sessions each day with the following scheduled times:

General Area Specific Departments Student

Guelph-Humber
Registration records/OSAP Book
Book Store store/Career Services
Library Library/ Peer Tutoring/IT Services
Learning Commons/Writing

Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/
Centre/Library
Research
Touring Time 10:00 to
10:45 a.m. 11:00 to
11:45 a.m. 12:00 to
12:45 p.m.
1:00 to 1:45 p.m

Please be ready to give a mini presentation (5 minutes long) to the group and
present an overview of the services you provide to students at Humber. If you have
promotional material, have it ready to distribute to the group so they can contact
your services in the future.

If you have any questions about the group tours, please contact me at extension
8545 or at [email protected]

Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/
There are different types of memos that serve different purposes. Here are some examples:

Information/Instruction Messages

Share information or instructions

Remind employees about rules of conduct
 Announce changes taking place within the
company

These are only some examples of what an informative memo can achieve. Regardless of
the message, you will need the following information to appear in your memo:
1) Opening
Give your main reason for writing the message
2) Body
Explain and give details of the information or the process you want the reader to follow
3) Closing
Tell your reader how you can be contacted to request more details or if they did
not understand the instruction

The example on the previous page is that of an information/instruction memo

Information/Action Request

Request a specific action from specific individuals

Inform individuals how to proceed with a specific command

1) Opening
Ask important questions and give your command in a polite manner

2) Body
Explain your action request in a logical sequence and be
polite
 Ask questions if necessary

3) Closing
Request a specific action providing a deadline, and if appropriate, show appreciation.

Turn the page over to see an example!

Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/
 Memorandum
To: All Tenants
From: Jack Del Monte, Facilities Department x 3643
Date: October 15, 2023
R: Change in Fire Procedures

As a result of new regulations adopted last month by the city of Mississauga, all public buildings,
such as the one we work in, must follow new procedures in case of a fire.

The main new regulation is that all publicly accessible rooms/areas must have a telephone. As you
may have noticed, we have recently complied with this new regulation by installing emergency
telephones in a few areas of the building including the food court, the entrance to the movie
theatres, and all entrances to the mall. If you are in one of these areas and witness the outbreak of a
fire, please do the following:

1) Call 911.

2) State the name of the building: “Happy Shoppers Mall” and the name of the room/area, e.g.
“Movie Theatre”.

3) Exit the building using the nearest exit

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. My extension is 3643

E-mails

With more dependence on technology and its ease of use, routine messages can reach their
intended audience even faster by using e-mail. E-mails are significant because you are not
only able to send your message, but you can also attach additional information, pictures,
and documents. You can also cut and paste information from other e-mails or electronic
sources making your job a lot easier, faster and efficient.
Chain e-mail
Your message is part of an already
established chain of messages related
to a purpose

There are two types of business

e-mails
E-mails that begin a chain
You begin an e-mail chain to achieve
something and keep those involved
informed at all times

Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/
E-mails are subject to the same rules as memos. You need the following components:

From
To
Date
Subjet

And your message should include:

1) Salutation

2) Message
A short concise message stating your
purpose Keep the tone formal and
appropriate
Remember you are in a business setting, not e-mailing your best friend

3) Brief closing
Keep it simple, such as sincerely, regards, etcetera

Here is a list of what to do and what not to do when you send e-mails.

DO DO NOT DO
Make sure you have the correct Do not use e-mails to avoid contact
address Do not provide misleading Do not reply to an e-mail when you are
subject lines Be concise angry Do not engage in bad humour
Send appropriate information only Do not use unprofessional
Edit your work, errors are tones Do not send junk e-
unprofessional Announce mail
attachments

Revise the subject line if the subject

changes Assume all e-mail is monitored.

You can practice writing routine memos and e-mails using these guidelines as well as
following the examples in the handout “Memos and E-mails –Practice Scenarios”, which
is a complement to this information.

Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/
Content in this document was created by Math & Writing Centre tutors with the support of Student Learning
Services and the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences at Humber College.
https://humber.ca/learningresources/