Being asked to give a eulogy can be a great honor. However, it can often be a daunting experience. You are being asked to put your heart on the line, and it can be tough to know exactly what to say. On this page, we want to give you a brief step-by-step guide on how to give a eulogy.
Brainstorm
Start with brainstorming ideas for your eulogy. This means writing a list of everything that you want to say. Be as in-depth as you want here. Some of these ideas are going to end up being cut anyway. Just make a list of some highlights of the person’s life, your memories, etc.
Writing the Introduction
The introduction is simple. It is just a reiteration of why you are there i.e. celebrating the life of somebody. It should be no more than a couple of lines.
Writing the Biography
You then need to write a paragraph or two about the history of a person. Mention when they were born, where they were born, marriages, where they worked, etc. Just give an overview of somebody’s life.
Include Memories
This is where you really start to get into the major aspects of the eulogy. Include memories of the person. You can mention a memory or two of your own, but mention experiences that other people may have had with said person too.
It is important that the memories are positive ones. Don’t mention anything that is even the smallest amount of negative. Do not mention any stories that may embarrass one either.
One thing that it is suggested that you do here is a bit of humor. Not too much of it. You just want to be putting a small smile on the face of the people that were sitting in that room.
This memories section should have enough content to fill a couple of minutes. Your entire speech should be around 5-minutes long. Do not go over that at all.
The End of the Eulogy
The end of the eulogy is just you saying something along the lines of “we are going to miss you” or “my thoughts are with….”. Nothing too crazy. You are just writing something nice and sweet to wrap up the eulogy.
Read it to a Friend or Family Member
If you have the opportunity to do so, we suggest that you read the eulogy to a friend or family member before the funeral. They will be able to give you feedback on the length, whether you have said anything embarrassing, and maybe even share a few ideas with you about other memories that you may want to include.
Conclusion
Writing a eulogy is not going to be a quick process. It is likely going to take you many days to perfect it. However, you will very quickly realize that there is no better tribute to the life of somebody than being able to create a fantastic eulogy that everybody is going to remember.
