Overcoming grief and a fear of public speaking may be worth it to give your loved one a heartfelt eulogy.
Eulogies are offered as a retrospective of a deceased person's life and often pay tribute to that's person's accomplishments and those he has influenced. They play an important part of a memorial service or funeral and are often given by people who knew and shared in the person's life, including colleagues, co-workers, and family members. While emotionally taxing, writing and delivering a eulogy need not prove as difficult as it might seem, as long as you keep a few key ideas in mind when crafting and approaching the recital of your speech.
Instructions
1. Think of stories or anecdotes that illustrate the deceased person's warmth along with the best parts of her character. The idea is to create a loving, verbal portrait that not only celebrates the life of the person, but which is also relatable to the people in the audience. Speak about moments from the person's life that are memorable and characteristic and serve to evoke the person you're speaking about rather than vague stories that could be attributed to anyone.
2. Insert humorous stories and anecdotes. Don't be afraid to be funny when writing a eulogy as humor is especially important in a time of grief.
3. Be as honest and positive as possible. The eulogy should speak to the person's character in the best light possible. While everyone does things that are questionable and even wrong at times, a funeral or memorial is no place to go over these flaws, nor is it a place to air grievances or make accusations. Don't make the person out to be a saint, but try to portray them lovingly as a way to honor and pay tribute to them.
4. Verify all facts mentioned in the eulogy. Make sure the date of a person's marriage or their children's birth dates are correct, otherwise, the eulogy will feel insincere, particularly to family members who know these dates by heart. Inaccuracies may be perceived as insulting to the deceased.
5. Keep the eulogy to 10 minutes or less, especially if others are going to speak. Should others be set to speak, go over your eulogy with them to make sure your stories or facts mesh together and don't overlap.
6. Print your eulogy in a legible font and practice reading your eulogy, especially if you aren't comfortable or acclimated to public speaking. Remember to make eye contact with the audience. The manner in which you deliver your eulogy should sound and look natural, not forced or uncomfortable.
7. Include poetry, song lyrics, or passages from books, especially if the work was a particular favorite of the deceased and speaks to the person's character. If you have trouble writing or expressing yourself in times of grief, this material can be especially useful in illustrating your own feelings. Likewise, playing a song can also serve this same purpose and may be used not only to illustrate personal feelings, but also to recall people's favorite memories of the deceased.
Tags: your eulogy, person life, deceased person, eulogy should, family members