For people who are going to write eulogies the first time, it will be easier for them if they had a sample that could serve as a basis for their funeral speech. Free eulogy samples can be gotten from books and the Web. They must be used as guides for writing and customizing one’s eulogy speech.
It doesn’t matter how useful free eulogy samples are to you, it would still be best if your eulogy contained your own words, feelings and thought about the person you just lost. Besides, eulogies should be personal.
A way to come up with a good eulogy is to just find tips and suggestions that will help you write your own eulogy.
Here are a few.
1. Collect your material. Gather facts about the person – age, important dates, favorite places, and so on. Then think about fond memories with the person or a behavior of the person that makes people remember him or her well. Talk to other family members, friends and colleagues and ask them about their moments with the deceased. Ask their opinions and see if you arrive at a very good idea.
2. Choose a theme. What gives a eulogy unity is a theme. A theme will help you and your listeners distinguish the patterns of the life of the deceased. Your theme may focus on the good things the deceased has done to you and to other people; his or her values and their influence to your life; the person’s behavior and lifestyle; and the most fond and funny moments you two shared while he or she was still alive.
3. Organize your speech. You may want to use one index card per significant memory. In this way, you can easily filter which memories you want to include in your eulogy speech.
4. Write your draft. Write your first draft using the information you collected and the memories you wrote in index cards. You can go through each index card and choose the best memories to include in your speech. Use a word processor so that editing your speech will be easier afterwards. Put your focus on the beginning and ending of your speech. Do not try hard to be formal; use a conversational tone. Include humor if you wish to. It is an effective way to ease the pain and tension a little if you are able to laugh at things. Include appreciation and gratitude not only to the deceased, but also to the people he or she has shared life with.
5. Rehearse your speech. If you are not used to delivering speeches, aside from the free eulogy samples you took, you may also want to borrow materials that will help you do the public speaking trick. Rehearse your speech to find awkward lines; this is your chance to do some editing. Remember to calm down and be natural. Nobody is against you so you do not have to fear anything.
Thats it ! With that, you should be well on your way to a great eulogy speech.
eulogy templates