A memo is not really a document. It is a request, a decision or a warning, and it only works if the reader finishes it knowing exactly what happens next. The memos that fail usually fail for the same handful of reasons. None of them are dramatic, and every one of them can be fixed in a single editing pass.
1. A subject line that says nothing
“Update” tells the reader nothing. Neither does “Team news” or “Quick one”. A subject line has one job: to help someone decide whether to open the memo now, later, or never.
Build it from three parts — topic, action, deadline:
- Reply by Thursday: print supplier for Q3
- Decision needed: new rota, starts 1 June
- No action needed: office move dates confirmed
Compare “Print update” with “Reply by Thursday: print supplier for Q3”. The second one can be triaged from a phone lock screen. That is the whole point.
2. Burying the action halfway down
Many writers warm up before they get to the point, which is why so many memos open with something like:
Following several conversations over recent weeks, and with a view to ensuring alignment across teams, it has been suggested that we might review the current supplier arrangement in due course.
Four lines, and the reader still does not know what you want. Put the ask in the first two sentences, then explain. If someone reads only the opening, they should still be able to act.
Revision: “We need to change print supplier by 1 May. I need your costings by Thursday so I can put a recommendation to the board on Friday.” Everything else is supporting detail.
3. Jargon and private shorthand
Internal language is efficient for the people who already know it and baffling for everyone else. Watch for “leverage”, “socialise the idea”, “loop in”, “at this juncture”, “take it offline”, project codenames and department acronyms. None of these are wrong in themselves; they simply assume a shared vocabulary your reader may not have.
The fix is a simple test: would a competent new starter in their second week understand this? If not, rewrite it. Define an acronym the first time you use it, spell out a codename once, and prefer the plainest word that fits. “Use” beats “utilise” every time. So does “about” over “with regard to”.
4. Passive voice that hides who does what
Passive constructions are not a grammatical sin, but they are a convenient place to hide. “The form must be submitted before the deadline” raises two questions: submitted by whom, and which deadline? A reader who has to guess will either guess wrong or ask you.
Name the person and the date:
- Weak: “It has been decided that the report will be reviewed.”
- Clearer: “Priya will review the report by 14 March.”
Where responsibility is genuinely shared, “we” is fine and honest. What matters is that somebody specific can look at the sentence and know it refers to them.
5. Tone problems: too stiff, too casual, or accidentally sharp
Memos carry no facial expression, so tone is entirely on the page. Two failures are common.
Too formal
Padding makes a memo feel distant and slows the reader down. “I am writing to inform you that” means “please note”. “Please do not hesitate to contact me” means “email me if you have questions”. Cut the ceremony and keep the courtesy.
Too blunt
Short imperatives can read as curt once they are stripped of context. “Send me the figures” lands differently from “Please send me the figures by Wednesday — I need them for the budget meeting.” A single line of context does a lot of work.
Also avoid words that quietly accuse: “obviously”, “simply”, “just”, “as per my last email”. And be careful with irony. A joke that is funny across a desk may read as sarcasm in an inbox that is three days old.
6. A wall of text with no route through it
If a memo runs to two dense pages, the reader will skim and miss something. Structure is not decoration; it is what makes the content findable.
- Use headings every few paragraphs so the reader can jump to what applies to them.
- Use a numbered list for anything sequential, and bullets for options or requirements.
- Keep paragraphs to roughly two to four sentences, with one idea each.
- If the detail genuinely needs more than a page, put it in an attachment and keep the memo itself to a summary of decisions and actions.
One caution: do not bullet everything. If every line is a bullet, nothing stands out and the memo reads like a checklist rather than a message.
7. No deadline, no owner, no reply route
A memo without a next step is just information, and information is easy to file and forget. Close with the mechanics:
- What you need — a decision, a signature, a confirmation, feedback.
- Who needs to provide it.
- When you need it, with a real date rather than “as soon as possible”.
- How to respond — reply to the memo, comment on the shared document, or drop by on Thursday morning.
If you need nothing at all, say so plainly: “This is for information only; no action needed.” That one sentence prevents a stream of anxious replies asking what you want from them.
A five-minute check before you send
Read the memo once, out loud if you can manage it, and check the following:
- Does the subject line name the topic, the action and the deadline?
- Is the ask visible in the first two sentences?
- Is every person named and every date specific?
- Have you defined any acronyms or shorthand on first use?
- Can you cut ten per cent without losing meaning? Do it.
- Does the final line make the next step unmistakable?
Memos rarely fail because of bad ideas. They fail because the reader could not work out quickly enough what was being asked of them. Fix the subject line, move the action to the top, name the owners and dates, and write as though your reader is busy and on your side. That is most of the craft — and the rest is just trimming.
Photo: Kindel Media / Pexels
