In the “Ineffective Memo Revision Activity” thread respond to the following questions about the Ineffective Memo Example:

• What is the Audience, Purpose, and Context of this memo?
• What is one problem you can identify in this memo that your group members have not already mentioned? (nobody says anything) Is this a problem with the memo’s Content, Style, or Genre? Why it is a problem?
• How would you address these problems? Think about what might be Felicia’s purpose in writing this message, the audience’s needs, and the broader context within which she is writing.
• What can you do to avoid a similar problem in your own memo.

Ineffective Memo Example

MEMO

TO: Felicia August
SUBJECT: Those are the breaks, folks

Some of you may not like the rules about break times; however, we determined that keeping track of employees while they took breaks at times they determined rather than regular breaks at prescribed times was not working as well as we would have liked it to work. The new rules are not going to be an option. If you do not follow the new rules, you could be docked from your pay for hours when you turned up missing, since your direct supervisor will not be able to tell whether you were on a ‘break’ or not and will assume that you have walked away from your job. We cannot be responsible for any errors that result from your inattentiveness to the new rules. I have already heard complaints from some of you and I hope this memo will end this issue once and for all. The decision has already been made. Starting Monday, January 1, you will all be required to take a regular 15-minute break in the morning and again in the afternoon, and a regular thirty-minute lunch at the times specified by your supervisor, NOT when you think you need a break or when you ‘get around to it.’

There will be no exceptions to this new rule!

Felicia August
Manager
Billing and Accounting

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

The audience of the memo presented below are employees in the accounting and billing department The ... View the full answer