Internal Memo

The Internal Memo clearly instructs the recipient what to do or know. It covers all necessary information as briefly as possible with no superfluous material.

The Internal Memo is person-to-person: from one or more employees to one or more employees. It remains sensitive to its potential effects on other audiences (including unintended ones). The language, salutation, and valediction reflect the appropriate relationship between sender and recipient.

The Internal Memo's most important information is front loaded in the subject line and initial sentences. Sufficient context about the situation is provided at the beginning but not extraneous information. Content is structured into chunks (including lists where appropriate) that move through a logical progression.

The Internal Memo contains the genre's conventional formal elements in the expected order: Header (to, from, date, specific subject line); Salutation (greeting); Body; Contact information for questions/concerns; Valediction (closing or sign off); Attachments (if appropriate). The document is single spaced with line breaks separating paragraphs rather than indentation.

The Internal Memo reflects the conventions of Edited American English and speaks in the 1st person.