STANWRITTER

Health Policy and Management

Change of Direction Memorandum Guidelines and Examples

Remember that memos are a way to bring attention to an issue, solve a problem, or officially acknowledge something that needs to be recorded. Memos are often used to discuss procedure and policy changes, outcomes of a meeting, or simply act as management notices. Memos are NOT MEANT for sensitive material. Memos are most effective when they are SHORT, PURPOSEFUL, AND INTERESTING.

Formatting:

1 page
Text *Arial 10pt, 1.5 line spacing, 1 inch margins
In the third paragraph, create fictional information for contacts or just specify a department or organization.
Ensure that all formatting and content specifications are covered based on the example below. See the rubric, available after the example or in the assignment submission space in Blackboard, for more detailed information about how you will be graded.

____________________________________________________________

To: Who should this go to?

From: Your Name, Director, Department of Health and Human Services

Date: Due Date

Re: Insert a Subject

Introduction Paragraph. State your purpose in issuing this Memo. You can assume that staff have seen this issue in the news and probably are talking to one another about it around the office.

2nd Paragraph. This is the body of your memo. You want to state the facts. It is important to end gossip and rumors and keep your staff moving forward. Why shouldn’t they worry about their jobs? Do not make false promises. This is your chance to be a leader.

Closing paragraph. Reiterate any important points and make sure to thank your audience. Who do they come to with additional questions or concerns?

Closing,

Signature (Or Typed Name)

Cc: All Dept. Staff

Further Memo Writing Examples

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/590/https://www.fsb.muohio.edu/heitgedl/Memo%20writing%20tips%20ACC333%20SP06.pdf
http://www.law.cuny.edu/legal-writing/students/memorandum/memorandum-3.html

Health Policy and Management

Change of Direction Memo Rubric

	Good to Excellent 100-90%	Fair to Good 89-70%	Poor to Fair 69-0%
Empathy and Professional Tone 35%	Directly addresses the issue of possible employee concern around layoffs and offers an empathetic response	Directly addresses the issue of possible employee concern around layoffs	Avoids directly addressing the issue of possible employee concern around layoffs
Neutrality 35%	Offers possible outcomes, but does not commit to concrete actions or solutions as a response to the situation	Does not commit to concrete actions or solutions as a response to the situation	Commits to concrete actions or solutions as a response to the situation
Format 20%	Follows example format and addresses all sections provided in the prompt	Follows example format but does not address all sections provided in the prompt	Does not follow example format provided and fails to address all of the sections provided in the prompt
Writing Mechanics 10%	Memo contains no grammatical errors	There are grammatical errors, but they do not affect the readability of the memo	Grammatical errors affect the readability of the memo