How to Write a Eulogy

You have to write a eulogy so where do you start. The difficulty of writing a eulogy is compounded by the short time you have to prepare the eulogy and you are probably distressed already because of the death of a loved one and now you have to create a memorial speech at such an upsetting time.

Look at the task of writing a eulogy as an opportunity that has been given to you to express your personal feelings and the relationship you had with the deceased and an overview of the life and contribution of the deceased from your point of view.

You have been asked write this eulogy because others believe you can produce a successful eulogy, so you are the right person for the task. Writing a funeral eulogy is not difficult if you follow this simple procedure. The result will be a memorial you can be proud of and others will remember with affection.

Write a biographical eulogy because you will always have, or can easily obtain enough material to construct a well rounded eulogy. Your road map is provided for you by the format to be used.

Start at birth of the deceased and move through their life. Any inaccuracies will be accepted because of the nature of the funeral speech. Keep in mind you will be delivering your eulogy to a sympathetic audience; intersperse your eulogy with anecdotes and asides if at all possible.

Your funeral eulogy should be rounded off with a synopsis of the deceased, including perhaps their character, personality, and what they stood for. Remember a eulogy by definition is a speech in praise of a deceased person.

Your last task to complete your eulogy is to write it all down as you want to read it when you deliver your eulogy. Test your eulogy out with others who were close to the deceased for approval and possibly some extra material which would be useful. I strongly suggest you read your eulogy from notes unless you are a confident public speaker. Your mind will probably be racing at the time and it is comforting to have your eulogy safely in your pocket.

When the time arrives to deliver the eulogy you can feel confident of delivering a great eulogy because you are well prepared and know exactly what you are going to say to a very receptive and understanding audience.