{"id":1041,"date":"2022-01-03T16:20:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T16:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/virtualspeech.co\/?p=1041"},"modified":"2024-12-23T17:27:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T17:27:18","slug":"eulogy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/blog\/eulogy","title":{"rendered":"Prepare, Write & Give a Eulogy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Eulogy overview<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Thinking about your audience and the person<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. How to write a eulogy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Speaking on the day \u2013 how to give a eulogy<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Eulogy examples from the famous<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Eulogy quotes to calm, comfort & heal<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Eulogy Overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Writing and giving a eulogy is a way of saying farewell to someone who has died that, in a sense, brings the person to life in the minds of the audience. You don\u2019t have to be a great writer or orator to deliver a heartfelt and meaningful eulogy that captures the essence of the deceased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For some people, the opportunity to speak during the funeral service about the person they knew is a welcome one \u2013 but many of us still do not realise this is possible and believe that eulogies are just for the famous. You\u2019re being asked to do something at the very moment when nothing can be done. You get the last word in the attempt to define the outlines of a life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There is no right or wrong way to write a eulogy: each is as unique as the person giving it and the person it describes. But even if you\u2019re used to speaking in public, finding words to say<\/a> can be difficult because of the special circumstances of a funeral. You may be coping with your own grief. You may feel a heavy burden of responsibility to get it \u2018right\u2019, in terms of both content \u2013 what to say \u2013 and tone \u2013 how to say it. You may prefer to ask someone else to write it, or perhaps have them on standby to give it for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whatever your thoughts, you should not feel pressured into giving a eulogy or guilty if you feel unable to do so. If you feel you did not know the person well enough, or are simply not that interested in characterising this person\u2019s life, suggest someone else do it, stating that you\u2019re too overcome with grief. This is a hugely important job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Eulogy Definition<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, especially a tribute to someone who has just died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Origin<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Late Middle English (in the sense \u2018high praise\u2019): from medieval Latin eulogium, eulogia (from Greek eulogia \u2018praise\u2019), apparently influenced by Latin elogium \u2018inscription on a tomb\u2019 (from Greek elegia \u2018elegy\u2019). The current sense dates from the late 16th century. (Oxford Dictionary<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    President George W. Bush delivers a eulogy during funeral services for former President Gerald R. Ford at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    2. Thinking about your Audience and the Person<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Start by thinking of the people you are addressing, as well as the person you are describing: the eulogy is about the person, but for the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Key thoughts about your audience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Who are they \u2013 family and close friends only or others too? There may be specific things to say or avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How will they feel? Listening to you will obviously be highly emotional for those closest to the person, and some people will be in tears. But this doesn\u2019t mean the eulogy should be mournful and depressing. People will be grateful if what you say is uplifting and inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What do they want to hear? Most people want to hear good things about a person who has died, and forget the bad things. But people don\u2019t become saints just because they die. Your audience will want to feel you have captured the essence of the person \u2013 what makes them special. So be honest, but selective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How long should it be? Even in the circumstances of a funeral, many people find it difficult to listen to one person talking for a long time, so a eulogy should really be over in a matter of minutes \u2013 just how many is a matter of individual choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Think of the person<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    A good eulogy doesn\u2019t just tell the audience about the person \u2013 in a sense it brings the person to life in their imagination and gives them something by which to remember them. You can do this by telling stories about the person<\/a>: the happy things, the funny things, the sad things, the unusual things that happened, which sum up their life. Talking about these and the enduring qualities which describe what they were really like as a person, will help you build a picture for the audience with your words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You may have all the information you need, or you may want to speak to other people close to the person to get precise details and check your facts. You may have arranged the funeral as a friend of the deceased, not knowing too much about them and having no relatives to turn to for information, in which case you can base your eulogy on your impressions of them as a person. Once you have the material and have thought about it in relation to the people you are talking to, you are ready to start putting it together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use these points to help build memories and stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n