memos, white space, email, sandwich technique

1. Memos and Beyond
Natasha Luepke

2. The Basics
 Audience

3. The Basics
 Tone

4. The Basics
 Purpose

5. The Basics
 Context

6. Memos
 Internal communication
 Announcements, information,
reports, etc
 Most businesses have their own
standard
 Often filed for documentation
purposes

7. Memos must have
 TO:
 FROM:
 DATE:
 SUBJECT:

8. Memos might have
 Sender’s initials
 Subheadings
 Bullets/numbered lists
 CC

9. Memos do not have
 Addresses
 Salutations (“Dear Bob”)
 Closing lines (“Sincerely”)

10. Memo Content
 One subject
 Concise, but developed
 Specific
 Begin with main idea, then
background
 Lists help clarify; do not overuse
 Headings divide info, make it
manageable

11. Subject Lines
 Subject line
 Concise, but descriptive

12. White Space
 Sometimes called “negative space”
 Our eyes need that space so we can
process info

13. White Space
 It’s too hard to read a lot of text
crammed together with no spacing
or room. In fact, until the 800s,
allwordswerewrittentogetherwithnos
pacesatall.
Intheearly800sCE,EmperorCharlema
gne’sheadscholarinvented
Carolingian Miniscule – and spaces
between words!

14. Salutation
 Dear
 Hi
 Greetings
 To Whom it May Concern

15. Closing Line
 Sincerely,
 Thank you,
 Good bye,
 Later,
 --Name

16. Sandwich Technique
 Begin with something positive
(bread)
 Then, something negative (filling)
 Finish with something positive
(bread)

17. Questions?