The Perfect Business Memo

[From "If I Knew Then What I Know Now, CEOs and Other Smart Executives Share Wisdom They Wish They'd Been Told 25 Years Ago" by Richard Edler.]

Proctor & Gamble Company, Unwritten and Unofficial Guideline

"This summarizes tips for writing the perfect business memo:

1. For the rest of your life begin every memo with the work 'This.' It allows you to get started, and to tell the reader in the first sentence what the purpose of the memo is.
2. If it's under $3 million, put it on one page. This forces you and your reader to focus only on what is really important. Additional information can be added as exhibits.
3. There are three reasons for everything. Never two or four. If you have two, make another one up. If you have four, cut one out."