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Brendon Barone
Professor Cook
March 27, 2018
ENGL 3059-001

Memorandum

The memo or memorandum, is a document that has been in the news with some frequency as of
late, specifically the Nunes Memo seen in the news. With its rise in popularity and the way it is
shown in the spotlight, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the document as not
only a media piece, but as a business tool.

A memorandum is defined as, “a short note designating something to be remembered, especially

something to be done or acted upon in the future”1. Further definitions include, “an informal
message, especially one sent between two or more employees of the same company, concerning
company business”1. By combining these two definitions, we are painted a clearer picture of
what a memo is, and it can be summarized as a short document or informal message, typically
between company employees.

Today most memos take the form of an email, though the Nunes Memo is an exception
maintaining classic form. They are sent often and, in most cases, regarded with much less
reverence than they were in their previous handwritten form. To think of an email as a memo,
one can see just how many memos are sent. Aside from specific White House correspondence,
most company communication is conducted through emails and considering the amount of
companies working on a daily basis, memos are a vital document.

Though the memo serves its communication purpose without much thought, under the surface,
there is much more going on. However, with its informal nature, many don’t stop to look under
the hood of the memo and work to understand it’s nuances and rhetorical significance.

Memo Uses and Aesthetics

As described by the definition, memos are primarily used in a business setting. However, in this
way it has a wide range of audiences, contexts, and purposes. For example, emails sent between
members of a sales team may contain different information than memos sent between members
of upper management. However, these are both still considered memos. Similarly, a memo can
also be used to reach across professions within the company. An example of this is, if someone
in sales has trouble with their computers, they could send a memo, in the form of an email, to the
IT department requesting services.

Memos are also seen in other non-business settings. One such example for a non-business memo
is the Nunes Memo. The Nunes Memo was used specifically to inform members of White House
staff about the potential implications of FBI probes. This makes the memo much more
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significant than simple inter-departmental communication. Given the nature of the memo and the
importance, it had to be declassified for reading by the general populous.

Figure 1: A sample professional memo.

In a business memo, there is much different aesthetic than a memo sent to those outside of the
company or memos sent in a non-business setting (see Figure 1). Inter-company memos are
typically sent with a very clean aesthetic. Often times, business emails are sent with a white
background, black type, and sometimes a footer below the signature providing information about
the individual who sent the email. The Nunes Memo has a very similar layout to the template
found above. It is broken down with the headings “Purpose” and “Investigation Update”
outlining what the reader can expect in each section. The “Purpose” section of the memo is
written in prose while the “Investigation Update” section is broken into two styles. The
beginning portion is written much like the purpose section while later it is broken into numerical
points with sub-points for each.

Rhetorical Appeals

The memo does not necessarily rely on rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos at the
surface level. However, depending on the context, it may rely on any or all of these rhetorical
appeals. In the case of the Nunes Memo, the it was only after the memo was released that the
document was so heavily scrutinized, and every rhetorical appeal was mentioned. The memo not
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only was scrutinized by the audience (various news outlets), but the memo itself was in part
scrutinizing Christopher Steele, an FBI informant.

Figure 2: Memorandum Rhetorical Triangle

In many instances like this one, the memo is a perfect example of the rhetorical triangle (see
Figure 2). The author may write the memo promoting one aspect or topic however, the audience
is going to look at both the memo and the author before their final decisions on the topic have
been made. In this specific memo, this is done through the language. Nunes uses words like
“legitimacy”, “legality”, and “abuses”. All of these play a role in painting a picture that is far
from neutral to the readers.

An alternative example of the memo not relying so heavily upon rhetorical appeals would be if
one member of the company sends another a document they asked for via email. This simple
exchange of a document may not have the same amount of rhetorical appeal as something from
another company member. Simply, in a professional setting, the logos, ethos, and pathos are
much less important than they are when dealing with people outside of a professional setting.

In a non-professional setting, the rhetorical appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos are much more
important to consider. Logos plays heavily into the decision-making process of the readers who
may be receiving the memo. Logic is important when reading any kind of document and without
the logic behind it the reader may take the memo at face value. Especially in a political setting
like the White House, the memo may carry weight that sways readers. Ethos is another example
of a rhetorical appeal that is imperative in evaluating the overall effectiveness of a non-
professionally sent memo. Ethics is a rhetorical appeal that is becoming increasingly important in
the eyes of consumers. It is often thought that on Capitol Hill, ethics is of little importance when
votes and jobs are on the line. This is one of the reasons as to why some of this harsh, non-
neutral rhetoric may have been used in the memo. Using words like “lied”, “violated”, and
“derogatory” may sway certain readers while simultaneously solidifying a job position for the
author.
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Rhetorical Devices
Due to its informal nature, a memo can have any number of rhetorical devices. A reader could
see similes, oxymoron, metaphors, analogies, and understatements to name a few. Having a
document that can have such a wide range of formality allows for a much wider range of
rhetorical devices. Whether these are effective, is largely due to the way any of these devices are
used and the writer who uses them.

Within a business setting, the language of the memo can allow for business members to express
themselves in a much less formal way. This is not the case in regard to the Nunes Memo but may
in turn, help those who struggle to write in a professional sense while helping to address difficult
topics. The downside to this informal nature is that sometimes, this can come back to hurt the
author of the memo or it can make lite of a difficult situation in the organization if not used with
discretion. Though not a business, if the Nunes Memo used less harsh language throughout, it
may have resulted in much less press and scrutiny. However, in the months following its release,
the memo was picked apart for the language and positioning that it took.

Informal language is also an option for those who are using the memo in a non-professional
setting or from a business to the customers. With its ability to house informal language, memos
in the form of promotional emails can utilize any number of rhetorical devices to connect with
potential customers. For example, a promotional email could contain the phrase, “this sale is as
sweet as chocolate cake”. This analogy makes the customer interested and its use allows for a
wider demographic than more a more formal document would. This coupled with the documents
aesthetics allows for a wide range of possibilities and uses.

Memorandum are imperative to the inner and outer functioning of the business world. Not only
do memos take an inner communication role but they also help to do things outside of business
emails. They can help to deliver information to political readers and they can help to inform the
same group. Overall, the memo is a document that is important and should be learned and
understood by most any professional writer, if not every person. Since we receive memos in one
form or another on an almost daily basis, it is important to know what to look for when receiving
or writing one.

Memos are unique in the fact that they can be so versatile. With so many different uses, different
aesthetic choices, rhetorical appeals, and rhetorical devices that can be implemented, memos are
in a class of their own. Most business communication both internal and external happens via
email or memo. Therefore, with its prevalence, it should not be overlooked.

Finally, for a budding professional writer, a memo is a document that should be thoroughly
analyzed and learned before many others. By setting a good foundation and learning about the
memo and all its forms, one can set his/herself up for success in the long term.
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Works Cited

“Memorandum.“ Dictionary.com. Random House, Inc. , Dictionary.com 2018. Web. 28 March

2018.

“Evolution of the Memo.“ slideshare.net. Smithsonian Institute Archives, LinkedIn 2011. Web.
28 March 2018.

“Purdue OWL: Memos.“ Purdue Online Writing Lab. Purdue University, owl.english.purdue.edu
2011. Web. 28 March 2018.

“Examples of Rhetorical Devices.“ Your Dictionary. yourdictionary.com,

examples.yourdictionary.com 2018. Web. 28 March 2018.

“H&M's First-Quarter Profit Plunges as it Warns of More Price Cuts Ahead.“ CNBC.com.
NBCUniversal, CNBC 2018. Web. 28 March 2018.