What is a Eulogy?

Jan 25

Written By Dr. J

Wondering What a Eulogy Actually Is? We’ve Got You.

We know you may be short on time right now. So, our Quick Guide on What is a Eulogy will hopefully be of help to you. We break it down to the basics.

Is a eulogy a speech?

A eulogy is a speech.

But, it is a very particular type of speech. It is focused on paying tribute to or honoring the life of someone who has died. It isn’t intended to be the person’s life story, but rather highlights and acknowledgement of the person’s gifts, contributions, and meaningful life roles.

How is it different from an obituary?

An obituary is not a speech to honor the deceased's life.

Rather, it often serves to announce the death, frequently showing up in newspapers and funeral home websites. It is often much shorter, and typically focuses on providing basic facts about the person, such as occupation, family member names, etc.

A eulogy on the other hand, may provide some of the information shared in the obituary, but is generally longer and focused on a different goal. The goal is to capture and share the essence of the deceased with the audience as part of honoring their life.

How long should a eulogy be?

I am a believer in creative freedom.

Eulogy speeches fall into this category for me. However, the audience members (the speaker too) likely only have so much emotional and mental energy. Therefore, it can be helpful to aim for somewhere between 5-7 minutes, as it is enough to highlight key aspects of their life while also ensuring the audience can remain engaged.

It can be tempting to try to include as much history and information as possible in the eulogy, but that can quickly become overwhelming. After all, we are all complex human beings so there is often a lot to say and reflect on. However, approaching it this way can create significant stress for the eulogy writer and make it difficult to write an effective eulogy. Instead, the eulogy writer should aim to start in a more focused way. Is there something that absolutely can't be missed? Start there. Think small and manageable. You can always add more later.

We hope you found this helpful. If you did, please like, share, or follow. Also, please be sure to grab your FREE Fill In The Blank Eulogy Template before you go.

Wishing you comfort.

Eulogy vs ObituaryWhat is a eulogy

Dr. J

Dr. J is a practicing licensed clinical psychologist and a eulogy consultant. Her passion for supporting others during life's most challenging moments is the reason she created The Gift of Eulogy, where she provides eulogy consulting services, including editing, ghost-writing, and coaching.

She earned a doctoral degree in Clinical psychology and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship that included hospice/palliative care services. Currently, Dr. J's clinical practice is focused on serving those in need as the director of an award-winning mental health treatment program in a large healthcare system. She has also previously served clients in private practice, providing support to those in need, with a focus on trauma, grief, and loss.

Her experience as an adjunct faculty member teaching college students helped her combine her passion for the field and for teaching. And, as a former training director for a large pre and post doctoral psychology training program, Dr. J is proud of her contributions to the high quality training of our newest generation of mental health professionals.

Dr. J has years of experience speaking and writing. She has presented at numerous conferences and hospitals on a wide range of mental health topics, including suicide risk assessment and management. Her experience as a writing consultant for local and international doctoral students has been incredibly rewarding. Dr. J has also written or developed numerous training manuals, seminars, and workshops over the years and recently authored a chapter related to dementia care in an edited book with Springer.

She can be contacted at info@thegiftofeulogy.com

https://www.thegiftofeulogy.com