Writing and delivering a eulogy is a fantastic opportunity to participate in a funeral service. Writing a moving, caring and thoughtful summary of someone’s life can be an overwhelming task. When considering what to include in the eulogy, it’s important to remember that this speech is an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the life lived, and to remind others of the memories shared with the deceased. To help you prepare a heartfelt eulogy, we’ve outlined some tips below.
Decide the tone
Keeping your writing tone consistent throughout the eulogy will help you deliver a heartfelt tribute to the deceased life. Will you take a serious or a conversational tone? Remember a eulogy doesn’t need to be morbid and to the point, it just needs to be appropriate. Perhaps consider writing it how the deceased would speak, this may help keep the flow of the speech and resonate with the audience.
Consider your audience
Thinking about how the audience will hear the eulogy is an important step in preparing the perfect tribute. Plan and write the content with the deceased’s family in mind. It’s important to remember the positives of their life and to remain honest when recounting your memories of the person. Wherever possible, include some light humour (where appropriate), however be careful not to make this distasteful.
Introduce yourself
Not everyone in the audience may know who you are, so it’s important to introduce yourself and your connection or relationship with the deceased. It can also be a good idea to include a summary about how and when you met, with mention of a key milestone or memory you shared together.
Include basic information about the deceased
Throughout your eulogy, mention some key points of information about the person. This can include things such as, what their parents or family were like, his/her career achievements, and interests (just to list a few). It can also be a good idea to mention significant people in the deceased’s life to further express your sympathies.
Use specific examples
To introduce a personal note to the eulogy, include some specific examples of memories you’ve shared, or things that describe the deceased specifically. It can be helpful to picture a stranger listening to the eulogy when preparing this section. This will help you maintain a conversional tone and remind you to include only essential information. Examples could include, how they loved to play chess, or buy souvenirs from destinations around the world.
Stay concise and well-organised
The key to writing and delivering an effective eulogy is to be organised and concise. Develop an outline before writing and clearly list your ideas for possible topics. When it comes time to write, think about your structure and give the eulogy a beginning, middle, and an end. This structure can also help you determine which sections different topics can go. When writing, it’s also important to take a blanket approach with your vocabulary. Remember to write so that everyone can understand what you are saying. Most importantly, keep it concise (usually about 3-5 minutes long), while including everything you want to cover.
Writing a eulogy can be an extremely overwhelming task. Writing in a way that encapsulates your memories of the deceased in a short timeframe can be challenging. Remember, a eulogy is a summary and celebration of someone’s life.
Should you need any tips or advice in writing a eulogy, please get in touch with our team.