GWU Strategic Focus Issues and Imperatives for 2024 Memorandum

Follow the memo rubric below. Here is the memo Prompt: You are Charlie Baker, NCAA President. Draft a memo to the Board of Governors of the NCAA regarding the top 5 issues you will tackle in 2024. The memo should be written professionally and needs to include the following:

Heading

To

From

Date

Subject

Opening statement

Context

Call to action and task statement

Discussion

Closing

Rubric:

You also have the option to include attachments to support the message you are conveying in your memo. If your memo is more than one page, you should have a summary to wrap up your points.

Write a memo in 8 steps

Memos should always be professional and polite—regardless of the topic you’re introducing. Stay focused on the facts and actionable plans. You should not use emoji in business memos. Keep it brief, direct, and clear and include only necessary information.

1 Heading

The heading lists who is receiving the memo, who is sending the memo, the date the memo was written, and the subject of the memo. You can view how to format this section below.

To: [Recipients’ full names and job titles or department]

From: [Your full name and job title]

Date: [Today’s date]

Subject: [What the memo is about]

Since you addressed the recipients in the heading, there’s no need to include a greeting.

2 Opening statement

This section can be between one and three sentences. The opening statement is where you briefly state the purpose of your memo. Include only a summary of the most crucial information in this section. Later you’ll be able to get into the details.

Try starting with, “I’m writing to inform you . . .”

3 Context

In three to ten sentences, provide context. Context is where you let people know what you’re writing about, why you’re writing them, and any other critical information.

This section may include the following:

supporting evidence

why your organization made the decision you’re discussing in the memo

background information

a problem statement

how you found the problem

important timing or dates

other key points

4 Call to action and task statement

This section can be either two to three sentences or a bullet-pointed list. This is where you lay out the next steps for your recipients. Write about what the recipient should do after they read the memo or how you plan to solve the problem you’ve described.

Try writing, “Please [task you’d like completed] by [due date]” or “I appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”

5 Discussion

The aim of this portion is to persuade the recipients to follow your recommended actions. Lay out all of the details that support your ideas, beginning with the most critical information. Give specific supporting facts, ideas, and research that back up your memo, organizing the information from strongest to weakest.

6 Closing

The closing section is an opportunity to end your memo on a courteous note. We recommend you share what you want your recipients to take action on one more time here, as well. Generally, memos don’t include a farewell. But if you want to have one, make sure to keep it brief.

7 Optional additions

You can include a summary or attachments with your memo if you need to. You should include a summary if your memo is more than one page. Summaries help recipients more easily digest the information you’ve shared.

You can place the summary right before your closing statement. A summary may list key recommendations, a summation of important information, references, methods, or resources you used. If the information in your memo needs further clarification, you can place it within this section. Summaries can be a few sentences long or a bullet-pointed list of key information.

Your supplemental information should include any documentation you want to share, such as graphs, lists, tables, or photos. If you choose to include attachments, include a note about what you’ve attached below your closing.

If you’re sending your memo via email, these additional attachments can be added to your email. If you send your memo as a letter or fax, include these after the last page of your memo document.

Refer to your attachments as such: “Attached: [name of attachment], [date created].”