Writing memos

BIOINF 2202: Dental Informatics Seminar Instructors: Titus Schleyer, Heiko Spallek

Why learn about writing memos?

important form of corporate communication clear and concise communication of complex subjects writing style and approach applicable to other communications, such as email set yourself apart from people who cannot write
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Purpose of a memo
solve problems by:
informing persuading refuting arguing analyzing

Recipients: one person, several persons, one or more groups, a whole community
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General rules
keep your audience in mind follow a structure (see below) follow an outline get to the point early revising is easier than writing perfectly the first time follow style guides and writing manuals budget between 20 min 1 hr for most memos
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Memo plan

Header Subject line Opening paragraph

}
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Supporting details/explanation Closing

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Header
To: From: recipient (individuals and/or groups) you/office (e.g. Student Affairs)/group (e.g. Social Committee) more recipient(s)

CC: Date: use correct names/designations for recipients include titles when appropriate, for all recipients when possible
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Subject line
probably the most important part of your memo summarize the intent of your memo, e.g.:
Request for assistance with grant project Consequences of recent material thefts

specific, concise and to the point

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Opening paragraph
complete summary of your memo provide:
context task/action/request summary of the rest of the memo

Best: put your intent into the first sentence

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Supporting details/explanation
maintain a global structure, such as findings implications action items arrange facts in a logical order dont provide more detail than necessary use bullet points where appropriate use correct structure bullet points (e.g. no standalone bullets)
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Closing
If necessary, summarize what you want recipient(s) to do. Provide clear instructions, including deadlines where applicable. Provide further references/contact information when appropriate.

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In-class exercise 1: Critique a memo

Review Institutional Advancement Memo Version 1 for compliance with the rules just discussed.

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Writing style
It now appears that obligatory obfuscation is a firm tradition within the medical profession. [Medical writing] is a highly skilled, calculated attempt to confuse the reader. A doctor feels he might get passed over for an assistant professorship because he wrote his papers too clearlybecause he made his ideas seem too simple. Michael Crichton, NEJM
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More about writing style

There are times when the more the authors explain, the less we understand. Apes certainly seem capably of using language to communicate. Whether scientists are remains doubtful. Douglas Chadwick, NYT

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Example
Our lack of data prevented evaluation of state actions in targeting funds to areas in need of assistance.

 Because we lacked data, we could not

evaluate whether the state had targeted funds to areas that needed assistance.

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Clarity: Actions
Use subjects to name your central characters. Express their most important actions as verbs.

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Verb
Examples: discover resist different proficient

Noun = Nominalization
discovery resistance difference proficiency

Nominalization makes for a noun-heavy writing style that is complex and hard to understand.
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How to fix it
Diagnosis Analysis Revision
(J. Williams, Style, p. 54, 55)

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Please fix:
The agency conducted an investigation into the matter.  The agency investigated the matter. There was first a review of the evolution of the dorsal fin.  First, she reviewed how the dorsal fin evolved.
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Use characters as your subjects

A character is whatever entity you can tell a story about, such as:
you the school the Executive Committee the Democratic party freedom of speech health care costs
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Active vs. passive voice

Choose the passive voice when you dont know who did it, your readers dont care who did it, or you dont want them to know who did it.

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Example
 Those who are found guilty can be fined.  Once the design was publicized, it was
widely adopted.

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A style that seems complex

 may be necessary to express complex ideas precisely. may gratuitously complicate already complex ideas. may gratuitously complex simple ideas.

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Cohesion
Move from old information to new. Arrange topics in a logical order. Start sentences with ideas that you have already described, or with something you can safely assume the reader already knows. Keep your topics short and reasonably consistent.
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Syntactic complexity
In general, readers best comprehend long complex units after they have read a relatively short and clear subject+verb sequence. Place technical terms new to the reader not at the beginning, but towards the end of the sentence.

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Example
To help in the efforts of ABCO, Inc., to develop medical policies in regard to coverage of employees engaged in high-risk activities, Dr. Jones has served as a medical consultant.

 Dr. Jones has served as a medical consultant to

help ABCO, Inc., develop medical policies in regard to coverage of employees engaged in high-risk activities.
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Clarity, grace and concision

Delete words that mean little or nothing. Delete words that repeat other words. Delete words whose meaning the reader can infer from other words. Replace a phrase with a word. Change unnecessary negatives to affirmatives.
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Homework
Rewrite Institutional Advancement Memo Version 2 for compliance with the guidelines discussed in the lecture.

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Resources
Williams, J. Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (7th Ed.), Longman, New York, 2002 Pitt style guide: www.umc.pitt.edu/umc/styleguide/contents.html Merriam Websters Manual for Writers and Editors, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, MA 1998 Siegal, AM and Connolly, W. The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, Random House, New York, 1999
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