Did you know…

The word memorandum derives from Latin and means ‘to be remembered’. It was first used in the 15^th century by merchants and lawyers and it was written at the top of notes and records (Cresswell, J., 2010). Nowadays, more often than not, the shortened form, memo, is used. Memos, once the main way to send messages to employees within companies, are now often sent in the form of an email or attached to emails. However, they differ from regular emails in a number of ways: memos are less personal, tend to be more direct and factual, and are written for a wide audience rather than one person. They are often printed and distributed in paper form, and may appear on staffroom notice-boards, etc., to be consulted by many people, possibly on more than one occasion. Memos may be written for various reasons, such as to announce changes, provide updates, remind staff, and call for action.