Eulogy preparation checklist
A step-by-step checklist to keep you on track from the moment you are asked to speak through to the service itself. Print it, pin it up, and tick items off as you go.
Gather material
- ✓Talk to immediate family about their memories and impressions
- ✓Reach out to close friends, colleagues, and neighbours
- ✓Look through photo albums, letters, and message histories
- ✓Ask children for their most vivid memories
- ✓Write down exact phrases the person used to say
- ✓Collect sensory details (routine, voice, habits, favourite things)
Write the first draft
- ✓Choose a through-line or organising theme
- ✓Write the orientation — who you are and how you knew them
- ✓Describe the texture of their daily life
- ✓Select one or two revealing stories
- ✓Write about their impact and what they leave behind
- ✓Compose a brief farewell
Edit and refine
- ✓Read the draft aloud and mark where you stumble
- ✓Shorten long sentences and break up dense paragraphs
- ✓Cut your least essential story
- ✓Replace vague praise with specific details
- ✓Time yourself reading at a natural pace
- ✓Ask one trusted person to listen and give feedback
Prepare for delivery
- ✓Print the final version in 14–16 point font
- ✓Double-space the lines
- ✓Mark pauses with blank lines or stage directions
- ✓Insert page breaks between sections
- ✓Make a backup copy for a second person
- ✓Identify a backup reader who can step in if needed
On the day
- ✓Bring water to the lectern
- ✓Take one deliberate breath before you begin
- ✓Speak slowly — write "SLOW DOWN" at the top of your page
- ✓Look up at natural moments after stories
- ✓Pause when your voice catches — the room will wait
- ✓Know that imperfection is welcome