One of the most poignant memories a person can have is a eulogy speech for a loved one that celebrated their life, and helped the survivor to focus on the life they lived, and not their departure. If you can deliver a eulogy speech that will help a person to have that experience, then you have fulfilled your duty to the survivor and to the departed.

Perhaps this article will help you deliver such a eulogy speech. There are many things you should understand about preparing for, writing, and then delivering the eulogy speech.

The basic format of a eulogy speech is normally an introduction, the main theme and the conclusion. As the main speaker you will need enough information to speak for at least eight minutes. If you are not the main speaker, your eulogy speech may need to be only two to three minutes.

Make sure you gather all the material and information that you will need before you begin writing the speech. If you are the main speaker, your eulogy speech should have all the following:

- Stories about the person's life

- Stories from friends and family

- Highlights of the person's life

- A favorite poem or saying or quote of the deceased

- Be consistent with how the deceased would like to be remembered

- Your facts: when and where born, where raised, schools, jobs, survivors, etc.

As you begin to write, think about the words you choose carefully, you want to try and create a eulogy speech that when delivered will be uplifting and inspiring for the attendees of the memorial service.

Acknowledge in an honest way the departed. It is a common flaw to want to present the departed in a grandiose way, better, bigger, smarter, etc. than they actually were. This is not what the departed wanted, this is not what the attendees want. They want to hear the honest things about the departed. If he was a janitor, do not say, "Joe was the most phenomenal janitor that ever cleaned the halls at work, in fact he was given many awards for how his floors shined.. . unless that is actually true!

Try this in the eulogy speech instead: Joe was a janitor. He was well liked and respected by all the people he worked with. He would do little things to help make their day better. I remember one time when he learned that one of the secretaries had allergies to dust. He left her special cleaning cloths to remove dust when his schedule was cut back. That was the kind of person Joe was. It didn't matter to him that he never became a rocket scientist. It mattered to him that he did his job the best that he could and tried to help those around him with the job he did.

At the same time, the eulogy speech should not be a place where a negative statement enters in. Let the eulogy speech honor the person and all their good.

Make sure you close with a thoughtful and sincere ending that will let people know how the departed lived and loved life and how they wanted to be remembered.