A memorandum or memo is a document or other communication that helps the memory by recording events or observations on a topic, such as may be used in a business office. The plural form is either memoranda or memorandums.
A memorandum may have any format, or it may have a format specific to an office or institution. In law specifically, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, or memorandum of association. Alternative formats include memos, briefing notes, reports, letters or binders. They could be one page long or many. If the user is a cabinet minister or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. If the user is a colleague, the format is usually much more flexible. At its most basic level, a memorandum can be a handwritten note to one's supervisor.
Dean Acheson famously quipped that "A memorandum is not written to inform the reader but to protect the writer". Charles Peters wrote that "bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy.
| Here are key points you want to address in your memo: 1. Who is calling the meeting? 2. What is the purpose? 3. What's on the agenda? 4. Date/Time/Location? 5. Is the meeting mandatory? 6. Will food be provided? How long is the meeting? Are you in the preliminary stages of meeting planning? In other words, are you gauging participants or has the meeting already been planned and you just need to send the announcement? In the memo, I would include the points listed above. You want to give as much info as possible. |
