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Funeral Speech Outline
By Rodney Ian
When it comes to giving a tribute speech at a funeral,
there's no need to go wild with creativity. Funerals are
somber occasions that work best when they follow a
certain formula. The traditional, familiar rhythm of the
funeral process gives attendees a sense of comfort and
helps them to begin moving forward with their grief.
Plus, you're probably too broken up about your loss to
devote the energy needed to write an exceptionally
creative speech.
Fortunately, for most types of ceremonies, all that will
be expected of you is to give a sold speech that does
everything it's supposed to do without trying to go too
far. The standard funeral speech outline works like
this:
1. Introduction: For the first minute or two, talk about
how the person entered your life. If it's a family
member, talk about your relationship with the person,
and share some of your earliest memories. If it's a
friend or acquaintance, talk about how you met, and
address the significance that the person has taken in
your life.
2. Anecdote: Every funeral speech outline should include
1-2 minutes to share a memory that helps illustrate the
specific character and virtues of the deceased. Ideally,
you should think of a memory that few people know about
and that highlights the person's individuality. Move
your role in the story to the background. Try to choose
an anecdote where the person helped you in some way or
taught you a valuable life lesson.
3. Conclusion: At a funeral, it's important to emphasize
the lasting legacy of the deceased person. When a loved
one passes away, we carry that person with us for the
rest of our lives, even if, after a while, we don't talk
about it all the time. The conclusion of your speech is
your chance to state clearly what the person's lasting
legacy will be. What type of inspiration do you expect
to take from this person and carry though the rest of
your life? Try to convince everyone in the room that
they should take this inspiration, too.
With this basic funeral speech outline, you should be
able to construct a solid speech that lasts anywhere
between 3 and 6 minutes. For most funerals, brevity is
appreciated, so stick to this formula, don't try to go
too far, and you'll do fine.
Rodney Ian is an Australian writer and entrepreneur who
specializes in web-based business and speech-writing.
For more tips and ideas for how to write a funeral
speech, visit Rodney's website at http://funeralspeeches.com.au/. |
