Write the eulogy with the deceased’s family and loved ones in mindĭwell on the positive, but be honest. There are no hard and fast rules – here are some suggestions about preparation and use our Guide to Public Speaking for more in depth tips.
#HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE EXAMPLE HOW TO#
The hardest task in preparing any talk is often not so much deciding what you’re going to say as deciding how to organise it into a structure with a beginning, middle and end.
Once you have the material and have thought about it in relation to the people you are talking to, you are ready to start putting it together. You may have arranged the funeral as a friend of the deceased, not knowing too much about them and having no relatives to turn to for information, in which case you can base your eulogy on your impressions of them as a person. You may have all the information you need, or you may want to speak to other people close to the person to get precise details and check your facts. Talking about these and the enduring qualities which describe what they were really like as a person, will help you build a picture for the audience with your words. You can do this by telling stories about the person: the happy things, the funny things, the sad things, the unusual things that happened, which sum up their life. Explore Courses Think of the personĪ good eulogy doesn’t just tell the audience about the person – in a sense it brings the person to life in their imagination and gives them something by which to remember them. How long should it be? Even in the circumstances of a funeral, many people find it difficult to listen to one person talking for a long time, so a eulogy should really be over in a matter of minutes – just how many is a matter of individual choice.įast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. Your audience will want to feel you have captured the essence of the person – what makes them special. But people don’t become saints just because they die. What do they want to hear? Most people want to hear good things about a person who has died, and forget the bad things. People will be grateful if what you say is uplifting and inspiring.
But this doesn’t mean the eulogy should be mournful and depressing. How will they feel? Listening to you will obviously be highly emotional for those closest to the person, and some people will be in tears. Who are they – family and close friends only or others too? There may be specific things to say or avoid. Start by thinking of the people you are addressing, as well as the person you are describing: the eulogy is about the person, but for the audience. Thinking about your Audience and the Person If you feel you did not know the person well enough, or are simply not that interested in characterising this person’s life, suggest someone else do it, stating that you’re too overcome with grief. Whatever your thoughts, you should not feel pressured into giving a eulogy or guilty if you feel unable to do so. You may prefer to ask someone else to write it, or perhaps have them on standby to give it for you. You may feel a heavy burden of responsibility to get it ‘right’, in terms of both content – what to say – and tone – how to say it. But even if you’re used to speaking in public, finding words to say can be difficult because of the special circumstances of a funeral. There is no right or wrong way to write a eulogy: each is as unique as the person giving it and the person it describes. You get the last word in the attempt to define the outlines of a life. You’re being asked to do something at the very moment when nothing can be done. You don’t have to be a great writer or orator to deliver a heartfelt and meaningful eulogy that captures the essence of the deceased.įor some people, the opportunity to speak during the funeral service about the person they knew is a welcome one – but many of us still do not realise this is possible and believe that eulogies are just for the famous. Writing and giving a eulogy is a way of saying farewell to someone who has died that, in a sense, brings the person to life in the minds of the audience.