guidelines for writing a eulogy

Here are some useful guidelines for writing a eulogy from our friends at Scanlan’s Funeral home

Giving a meaningful, moving eulogy can be a nerve-wracking situation for even the most accomplished public speaker, but it need not be.  How can you summarize somebody’s life in a few short minutes? Writing and delivering a eulogy is a therapeutic tool to help deal with your grief, and being chosen to give a eulogy is an honor and should be treated that way.  Here are some tips for writing and delivering an eloquent and memorable eulogy.

• Gather information.  Talk with family members, close friends and co-workers to get important information on the deceased.  Some important information to include in the eulogy is the persons family and other close relationships, their education & career, hobbies or special interests, places the person lived or traveled too, and any special accomplishments they had.
• Organize your thoughts.  Jot down your ideas by whatever means are most comfortable and familiar to you.  Create an outline of your speech, and fill in the information that you gathered about the person.
• Be brief.  A eulogy should not be any longer than five minutes.  If you are having more than one person speak, the total allotted time should not exceed 10 minutes. 
• Write it down.  This is not a toast at a wedding where you can make off the cuff remarks, and you should not ad lib a eulogy.  Writing it all down allows you to include and remember every detail you wanted in your eulogy.  When you bring a copy of your eulogy to the podium make sure it is easy to read. Print it out in a large font, or if it hand-written, leave a few spaces between the lines.  Keep in mind your time constraints -- it’s best to keep things on the short side, especially if there are other speakers.
• Review and Revise.  Your first draft will not be the last.  When you think you are done, sleep on it and look it over in the morning when it is fresh again. That will be the time to make any necessary revisions.
• Make them laugh, but be respectful.  A funeral is not a roast. However, there is room for humor in your eulogy.  Fondly remember a story about the person that everyone can relate too.  Keep it appropriate, as there will be children and the elderly there that may not share the same sense of humor.  Laughter is truly the best medicine, and some well placed humor will help people cope, and will bring back fond memories of the deceased.
• Don’t be afraid to show emotion.  Funerals are an extremely emotional event, and no one expects you not to shed a few tears.  However, if you feel that you will be too strongly overcome by your emotions, have a back-up plan in place where someone you trust can deliver the eulogy for you.  Give them a copy well in advance if you feel this could be an issue.
• Have a glass of water as well as tissues handy.

For poems, Bible Verses & other suggestions to include in a Eulogy, visit www.theinspiredfuneral.com