Format: How to Fix a Four-Page Memo · Option 1: Edit rigorously. To fix a four-page memo, one...

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HOW TO FIX AFOUR-PAGE BRIEFING NOTE

The Challenge................................................................................................ 2

Option 1: Edit Rigorously ........................................................................... 3

Option 2: Delete Unneeded Text ................................................................ 4

Option 3: Use Attachments ......................................................................... 6

Option 4: Treat the Memo As If It Were An Attached Briefing Note.... 9

Links to Attachments.................................................................................. 10

In A Pinch .................................................................................................... 11

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The Challenge

Many departments limit memos to the minister and memos to the deputy minister to two pages. It is sound practice. But you have a draft that comes out to four. What can you do to fix it?

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3Site MapContents Format Guidelines for Memos Home

Option 1: Edit rigorously.

To fix a four-page memo, one option is to edit the content vigorously to reduce it to the bare essence. This takes time and thought, but the result can be a dramatic improvement. You’ll find an example of this in the section on Substance vs. Froth. You’ll find other tips on how to do this in these sections: • Relevance • Abstract vs. Concrete • Short Words • Active Verbs

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Option 2: Delete unneeded text.

Another option is to delete any text that is not absolutely necessary.

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That leaves you with a two-page memo:

However, you’ve also lost a lot of information. What if you think that it is important to keep that material?

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Option 3: Use attachments. You could keep that text by moving it from the memo into attached briefing notes.

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Thus leaving you with . . . a two-page memo plus . . . a one-page briefing note plus . . . a two page briefing note and . . . you haven’t lost a word of the original text.

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If you use Option 3, bear in mind that the minister is unlikely to read the attached briefing notes. The minister’s advisors might read them, but the minister will not in most cases.

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Option 4: Treat the memo as if it were a briefing note. A fourth option is to treat the four-page memo as if it were actually an attached briefing note. Then, distill the essence of that briefing note into a two-page memo. For tips on doing this, see the sections on Abstract vs. Concrete and Substance vs. Froth.

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LINKS TO THE BRIEFING NOTES When you attach briefing notes, you will need to use connectors in the memo to link it with the attachments. Here are two examples:

Attachment 1 explains how this came about.

Attachment 2 summarizes the discussions at the meeting and lists those who attended.

In forming links, it is often helpful to use relatively abstract words in condensing material that used to be in the memo. Here is an example (the abstract words are underlined):

Attachment 1 sets out the pros and cons of the project.

If you wanted to provide slightly more concrete detail while still keeping the bulk of the text in the briefing note, you could write the following:

Arguments in favour of the project include effectiveness and ease of implementation. Arguments against include cost and possible overlap with provincial jurisdiction. Attachment 1 gives details on these arguments.

The concrete details replacing “the pros and cons” are underlined.

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IN A PINCH There will be times when you are in a pinch and you need to save just a line or two to keep the memo to two pages. Here are several ways you could do this: 1. Look for paragraphs whose last line is just a word or two long. Then study those

paragraphs to see if rigorous editing might cut out a word or two to gain that line. Using short words and active verbs can help a lot here.

2. Look for opportunities to eliminate some details by replacing them with an abstract

term. 3. See if you can save a line by moving acronyms or text from the subject line to the

opening paragraph, or vice versa. 4. Look for acronyms that appear only twice in the memo. The first time an acronym is

used, it must be spelled out in full, followed by the acronym in parentheses. Sometimes adding the acronym in parentheses is just enough to kick a paragraph over to a new line. You might find, however, that spelling the term out in full the second time would not add a new line to a later paragraph. Thus, you could save a line by not using the acronym in the first place.

5. Scrutinize the relevance of every sentence. See if there are one or two sentences that

aren’t really needed. 6. Look for places where you might have used froth instead of substance. Bear in mind

Samuel Johnson’s dictum: “Read over your compositions and, when you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.”

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