Memorandum

Last updated
Memo written by a White House staff member during the tenure of Jimmy Carter as US president. 6-00 PM Energy Meeting (11-2-77) - NARA - 142151.tif
Memo written by a White House staff member during the tenure of Jimmy Carter as US president.

A memorandum (pl.: memoranda; from the Latin memorandum, "(that) which is to be remembered"), also known as a briefing note, is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviated memo, these messages are usually brief and are designed to be easily and quickly understood. Memos can thus communicate important information efficiently in order to make dynamic and effective changes. [1]

Contents

In law, 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. In business, a memo is typically used by firms for internal communication, while letters are typically for external communication.

Other memorandum formats include briefing notes, reports, letters, and binders. They may be considered grey literature. Memorandum formatting may vary by office or institution. For example, if the intended recipient is a cabinet minister or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. If the recipient is a colleague, the formatting requirements are usually more flexible. [2]

Policy briefing note

A specific type of memorandum is the policy briefing note (alternatively referred to in various jurisdictions and governing traditions as policy issues paper, policy memoranda, or cabinet submission amongst other terms), a document for transmitting policy analysis into the political decision making sphere. Typically, a briefing note may be denoted as either “for information” or “for decision”.

Origins of term

The origins of the term “briefing” lie in legal “briefs” and the derivative “military briefings”. [3] The plural form of the Latin noun memorandum so derived is properly memoranda, but if the word is deemed to have become a word of the English language, the plural memorandums, abbreviated to memos, may be used. (See also Agenda, Corrigenda, Addenda).

“The word memorandum come from the Latin, from the verb remind in Latin (memorare). For the decade 1540 meant the note itself. This word was introduced in Spain in the year 1824. This type of document is usually use in the business world, or official documents. The items for do this document are the next: This document must be brief, the information that you want to transmit must be clear and concise, it’s don´t need request. Finally, when writing a memo, it is necessary to identify the sender and the receiver, to identify the subject matter. Add the place where it was written and the date.”

Purpose

There are many important purposes of a memorandum. Bringing notice to problems, and helping to solve a problem through clear and concise communication are two. [4] Memos support decision making and to “help (or sometimes influence) a decision-maker to make a better decision in a particular problem situation than he might otherwise have made without the analysis”. [5] Other purposes that the briefing note can serve include: conveying information; informing decisions, making a request, providing a response to a question, making a suggestion, presenting an informal report, proposing a solution to a problem, or documenting a reference for future use. Memorandums can be used to make brief appeals or give suggestions. These actions in a brief paper can help significantly expedite business actions to make a positive impact in an organization.

Structure

As the communication mechanism of the policy analysis process, the briefing note should provide a coherent synopsis of a policy problem, identify different policy options for addressing the problem, articulate opposing perspectives and advocate a recommended option. The typical structure for a briefing note includes a description of the proposed policy; relevant background information; a discussion of key considerations (including implementation concerns, financial considerations, stakeholder impacts, and possible unanticipated consequences), a summary of arguments for and against the policy and a recommended decision. Policy documents that start with a proposal and assemble an argument for that position are more accurately referred to as a government white paper. A government green paper which raises a policy option and is meant to open a dialogue on the proposal is more similar in tone to a briefing note than is a white paper.

A memo's concise format is relatively standardized in order to create accessibility to any reader. They open with a heading including a "to," "from," "date," and "subject". A break in the text would then be followed by an opening paragraph, which would more than likely describe the purpose of the memo. Context is then added to the document, followed by a section of specific actions. Examples could include "You asked that I look at...." or "To determine the best method of promoting the new fall line, I will....". Actions are followed by discussion, which is typically the longest part of a memo, before concluding the message. [6]

Quality criteria

There is no universal standard for a briefing note, but it is generally understood to be a concise, coherent summary of a public policy problem with a clearly articulated logic for following a recommended course of action. ”Next to a political nose, and a logical brain, the most important skill of the good treasury [person] resides in [their] fine drafting hand. The concise, coherent and penetrating note is the final expression of all other talents.” [7] In many governance settings based on the Westminster system, policy analysts are expected to analyze the issue and write the briefing note from a neutral civil service perspective. However, the briefing note “for decision” must contain a recommendation, acknowledging that “to say anything of importance in public policy requires value judgments, which must be explained and justified”. [8]

In addition to keeping a proper memo concise and easily comprehensible, there are a few other important features. The style and tone of a memo should always be kept professional, no matter who the audience may be. [9] This etiquette ensures that no matter who reads the message, it is presented professionally and respectfully. It is common to also see briefing notes with numbered paragraphs, in order to create an efficient and well-organized paper. [10] Since entering the digital age, signatures are not commonly seen at the end of a memo. However, when a briefing note was handwritten in earlier years, they typically included a signature. [11] Today it is still acceptable to sign or initial a memo if the writer wishes to.  

See also

Related Research Articles

A technical writer is a professional information communicator whose task is to transfer information between two or more parties, through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information. Technical writers research and create information through a variety of delivery media. Example types of information include online help, manuals, white papers, design specifications, project plans, and software test plans. With the rise of e-learning, technical writers are increasingly becoming involved with creating online training material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congressional Research Service</span> U.S. Congress-affiliated think tank

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a confidential, nonpartisan basis. CRS is sometimes known as Congress' think tank due to its broad mandate of providing research and analysis on all matters relevant to national policymaking.

A brief is a written legal document used in various legal adversarial systems that is presented to a court arguing why one party to a particular case should prevail. Appellate briefs establishes the legal argument for the party, explaining why the reviewing court should affirm or reverse the lower court's judgment based on legal precedent and citations to the controlling cases or statutory law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National security directive</span> Instruction the President of the United States sends to defense and intelligence advisers

National security directives are presidential directives issued for the National Security Council (NSC). Starting with Harry Truman, every president since the founding of the National Security Council in 1947 has issued national security directives in one form or another, which have involved foreign, military and domestic policies. National security directives are generally highly classified and are available to the public only after "a great many years" have elapsed. Unlike executive orders, national security directives are usually directed only to the National Security Council and the most senior executive branch officials, and embody foreign and military policy-making guidance rather than specific instructions.

An outline, also called a hierarchical outline, is a list arranged to show hierarchical relationships and is a type of tree structure. An outline is used to present the main points or topics (terms) of a given subject. Each item in an outline may be divided into additional sub-items. If an organizational level in an outline is to be sub-divided, it shall have at least two subcategories, although one subcategory is acceptable on the third and fourth levels, as advised by major style manuals in current use. An outline may be used as a drafting tool of a document, or as a summary of the content of a document or of the knowledge in an entire field. It is not to be confused with the general context of the term "outline", which a summary or overview of a subject, presented verbally or written in prose. The outlines described in this article are lists, and come in several varieties.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a type of agreement between two (bilateral) or more (multilateral) parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used either in cases where parties do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement. It is a more formal alternative to a gentlemen's agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internal communications</span>

Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communications among participants within an organization. The scope of the function varies by organization and practitioner, from producing and delivering messages and campaigns on behalf of management, to facilitating two-way dialogue and developing the communication skills of the organization's participants.

Professional writing is writing for reward or as a profession; as a product or object, professional writing is any form of written communication produced in a workplace environment or context that enables employees to, for example, communicate effectively among themselves, help leadership make informed decisions, advise clients, comply with federal, state, or local regulatory bodies, bid for contracts, etc. For example, in a business office, a memorandum can be used to provide a solution to a problem, make a suggestion, or convey information. Other forms of professional writing commonly generated in the workplace include email, letters, reports, and instructions. In seeking to inform, persuade, instruct, stimulate debate, or encourage action from recipients, skilled professional writers make adjustments to different degrees of shared context, e.g., from a relatively accessible style useful for unsolicited contact letter to prospective clients to a technical report that relies on a highly specialized in-house vocabulary.

Scientific writing is writing about science, with an implication that the writing is by scientists and for an audience that primarily includes peers—those with sufficient expertise to follow in detail. Scientific writing is a specialized form of technical writing, and a prominent genre of it involves reporting about scientific studies such as in articles for a scientific journal. Other scientific writing genres include writing literature-review articles, which summarize the existing state of a given aspect of a scientific field, and writing grant proposals, which are a common means of obtaining funding to support scientific research. Scientific writing is more likely to focus on the pure sciences compared to other aspects of technical communication that are more applied, although there is overlap. There is not one specific style for citations and references in scientific writing. Whether you are submitting a grant proposal, literature review articles, or submitting an article into a paper, the citation system that must be used will depend on the publication you plan to submit to.

The Memorandum of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, known simply as the SANU Memorandum, was a draft document produced by a 16-member committee of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) from 1985 to 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Report</span> Informational, formal, and detailed text

A report is a document or a statement that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are usually given in the form of written documents. Typically reports relay information that was found or observed. The credible report enhances the previous beliefs while dishonest information can question the agency preparing the report. Reports from IPCC as IPCC reports, World Health Report and Global Gender Gap Report from World Economic Forums are few examples of reports highlighting important worldly affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social system</span> Patterned series of interrelationships existing between people, groups, and institutions

In sociology, a social system is the patterned network of relationships constituting a coherent whole that exist between individuals, groups, and institutions. It is the formal structure of role and status that can form in a small, stable group. An individual may belong to multiple social systems at once; examples of social systems include nuclear family units, communities, cities, nations, college campuses, religions, corporations, and industries. The organization and definition of groups within a social system depend on various shared properties such as location, socioeconomic status, race, religion, societal function, or other distinguishable features.

BLUF is the practice of beginning a message with its key information. This provides the reader with the most important information first. By extension, that information is also called a BLUF. It differs from an abstract or executive summary in that it is simpler and more concise, similar to a thesis statement, and it resembles the inverted pyramid practice in journalism.

An executive summary is a short document or section of a document produced for business purposes. It 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 and has been described as the most important part of a business plan.

<i>A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations</i> Style guide for writing

A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is a style guide for writing and formatting research papers, theses, and dissertations and is published by the University of Chicago Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torture Memos</span> 2002 US government legal memoranda

A set of legal memoranda known as the "Torture Memos" were drafted by John Yoo as Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the United States and signed in August 2002 by Assistant Attorney General Jay S. Bybee, head of the Office of Legal Counsel of the United States Department of Justice. They advised the Central Intelligence Agency, the United States Department of Defense, and the President on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques—mental and physical torment and coercion such as prolonged sleep deprivation, binding in stress positions, and waterboarding—and stated that such acts, widely regarded as torture, might be legally permissible under an expansive interpretation of presidential authority during the "War on Terror".

A post-detection policy (PDP), also known as a post-detection protocol, is a set of structured rules, standards, guidelines, or actions that governmental or other organizational entities plan to follow for the "detection, analysis, verification, announcement, and response to" confirmed signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. Though no PDPs have been formally and openly adopted by any governmental entity, there is significant work being done by scientists and nongovernmental organizations to develop cohesive plans of action to utilize in the event of detection. The most popular and well known of these is the "Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence", which was developed by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), with the support of the International Institute of Space Law. The theories of PDPs constitute a distinct area of research but draw heavily from the fields of SETI, METI, and CETI.

Interdepartmental communication is largely a formal affair between different departments of an organization. Interdepartmental communication is effective when it is supported by good infrastructural facilities. There are various documents used in inter departmental communication, they are:

The memogate controversy revolves around a memorandum ostensibly seeking help of the Obama administration in the wake of the Osama bin Laden raid to avert a military takeover of the civilian government in Pakistan, as well as assisting in a civilian takeover of the government and military apparatus. The memo was delivered in May 2011; Mansoor Ijaz wrote a Financial Times article in October 2011 bringing initial public attention to the affair. The memo, which at first was questioned to even exist, was published in November, leading to the resignation of Ambassador Haqqani and the continuing Pakistani Supreme Court investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorandum of conversation</span>

Memorandum of conversation and also memorandum of a conversation and memo to the file refers to a method of contemporaneous documentation of a conversation in the form of a memorandum used by the United States federal government.

References

  1. ↑ Lab, Purdue Writing. "General Introduction // Purdue Writing Lab". Purdue Writing Lab. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  2. ↑ Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical Writing, pg. 113. New York: Publishers, 1993. ISBN   0020130856
  3. ↑ Simpson, J.A. and E.S.C. Weiner (ed.) 1989. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. OED Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ↑ Lab, Purdue Writing. "Audience and Purpose // Purdue Writing Lab". Purdue Writing Lab. Archived from the original on 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  5. ↑ Quade, E.S. 1975. Analysis for public decisions. New York: Elsevier. p. 13
  6. ↑ Lab, Purdue Writing. "Parts of a Memo // Purdue Writing Lab". Purdue Writing Lab. Archived from the original on 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  7. ↑ Heclo, H. and Rahul Vaidya 1974. The Private Government of Public Money. Berkeley: University of California Press, p. 58
  8. ↑ Majone, G. 1989. Evidence, Argument, and Persuasion in the Policy Process. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. p. 21
  9. ↑ Salina Saharudin (2009-07-17). "The Memorandum". Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-09-22.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ Salina Saharudin (2009-07-17). "The Memorandum". Archived from the original on 2021-04-22. Retrieved 2021-09-22.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ↑ Smithsonian Institution Archives (2011-11-17). "Evolution of the Memo". Archived from the original on 2022-04-10. Retrieved 2021-09-22.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.