8 Tips on How to Write a Funeral Tribute

Delivering a tribute for a family member or close friend is a beautiful way to participate in a celebration of their life.

Your tribute is a wonderful way to revisit beautiful memories and share just how much this special person has impacted your life. While giving a tribute is an honor, it can also seem very daunting. We have prepared a few tips so that you can write and deliver a tribute that will celebrate and honor your family member or close friend.

These 8 tips for writing a funeral tribute will help you get started:

1. Start With A Theme in Mind

Before you start writing your tribute to the deceased, make a plan. Are you going to share a spiritual message or will you tell stories that will highlight the life of your loved one? Ideally, the theme of your tribute should fit the personality of the deceased.

2. Use a Conversational Tone

When you are preparing your funeral tribute words, keep your tone conversational. Write as if you are talking to a family member or a friend. Not only will a conversational tone keep your tribute engaging, but it will also help banish your nerves while you are delivering your tribute.

3. Prepare to be Brief

During a traditional funeral or memorial service, several people may deliver a tribute to the deceased. For this reason, keep your comments brief and straight to the point. This way, everyone will be able to deliver a tribute without adding too much time to the length of the service.

4. Think of Who will be Listening to Your Tribute

Funerals and death tributes are for the living. While everyone comes together to celebrate the life of the deceased, the service is a time for the living to get closure and remember by putting their loved one to rest. Think of who will be listening when writing your tribute. Avoid saying things that may offend or hurt anyone in attendance. Funerals are often recorded and you’ll also want to keep in mind that your words will become a permanent digital keepsake.

5. Story Telling

Telling a story is one of the best ways to share the happiest memories of time spent with your loved one. The story you tell can fit into a specific theme or be something special you would like to share. Tell a story other people may not know, a story that highlights something special that others may not know.

6. Coordinate with Others

If there will be several people giving tributes you may want to collaborate. One effective way to do this is to develop a tribute that comments on a specific stage in your loved one’s life. One person my speak about the growing up years, one could share about family life and one could focus on career aspects as an example.

7. Summarize on a Positive Note

End your tribute with upbeat words. While funerals do have an element of sadness, they are also a time to remember a person who positively affected your life. End your tribute with warm and positive thoughts for a true celebration of the deceased’s life.

8. Practice Your Delivery

Practice giving your delivery. If you have someone you can practice with it will help you prepare. If not, practice delivering the tribute out loud in front of a mirror. If you need to read your tribute, start by reading while looking at your document and lift your eyes to the audience as you end each sentence. Practicing out loud helps your muscle memory so that you can fluently deliver your tribute when the time comes.