One of the greatest communication challenges is delivering a eulogy. It is difficult because you are very devastated and it is an emotional time because you have just lost a loved one that you cared deeply about. Here, you get a chance to talk about them in a loving light.
Here are a few tips to help you through this. For starters, you need to realize that this is not something that is likely to be printed in the newspaper so the world could read the transcript of your eulogy. So I do not recommend you trying to read a eulogy off of a paper as it can take away the emotional element. It removes your eye contact with the grieving friends and family and makes it sound like a news report instead. Although it is perfectly fine to use few notes in the form of a handful of bullet points in large font on a piece of paper.
What you want to do is focus on one or two traits or accomplishments of that person so you can celebrate their life. It is not your job to be a journalist and cover their whole life story. You are there to commemorate their life and accentuate it in the most positive light possible. The best way to do this is to speak from the heart from your personal experiences with them. You can talk about a particular story or recount an important experience you shared with them and use it to highlight their character traits. Then mention a few words what the person meant to you and how you miss them but avoid blabbering.
This may sound too corporate but it is important that you do a eulogy in the right way as it is not for any personal gain but for someone else’s last rites in this world. So practice on video if you can and make sure that you are coming across like you want to. Practice these tips and youc an honored the deceased in the best possible way.