How long should a eulogy be

A good length for a eulogy is five to ten minutes, which is about 700 to 1,200 words.1 If other people are speaking or the service has a set time, ask the funeral director or celebrant how long you have.

Drag along the ruler to see how many words fit the time you've been given.

5 minutes

700words at a normal pace

Between 625 and 750, from a slow pace to a fast one.

Five to ten minutes, the usual advicePaces from sources 2 and 3

Fitting a eulogy to the time you have

  1. Ask how long you have.

    The funeral director or celebrant will know how the service is structured, and whether anyone else is speaking.1 Ask before you start writing.

  2. Turn your minutes into words.

    A recommended pace for public speaking is 125 to 150 words a minute.2 At about 140,3 five minutes is about 700 words. The 1,200 words for ten minutes above works out at a slower 120 a minute. If you expect to speak slowly, plan for fewer.

  3. Choose a few moments to tell fully.

    Pick the memories you'd most like people to hear, and give each one room. Ask the family what they'd like included, and anything they'd prefer left out.

  4. Write it to be said aloud.

    Use short sentences and the names people used for them. Read each paragraph aloud as you write it, and change anything you trip over.

  5. Read it aloud and time it.

    Practice aloud three or four times before the day, and once in the room where you'll speak if you can.1 Time one run, then trim until it fits with a little room to spare.

    A speech length check counts the words in a draft you paste in.

  6. Mark where you'll pause.

    Write in where you'd like to stop and breathe. Pauses take time, so leave room for them when you time it.

  7. Give someone a copy.

    Ask a trusted friend to be ready to finish reading for you, or give a copy to the celebrant.1 If you print it, use at least 14-point type, double-spaced, with wide margins.1

Where Lectern fits

Lectern is an iPhone app that helps with the timing and the reading. Paste your eulogy, and Practice runs a timer, then shows how long the whole speech takes at the pace you set. Lectern can suggest where to pause, breathe or slow down. You add or dismiss each one, and your words stay as you wrote them. On the day, the words move only when you tap, so they wait while you pause. If you're starting from a blank page, Speechwriter asks about the person one question at a time. It drafts only from what you tell it. It needs a connection, and sends your answers only after you agree.

Preparing any speech is free, and so are practicing and delivering its first 2 minutes. Buy Lectern once to practice and deliver every speech in full, with one Speechwriter speech included.

Sources

  1. National Association of Funeral Directors, How to Write a Eulogy. Five to ten minutes, or about 700 to 1,200 words. Also asking the funeral director or celebrant, practicing three or four times, a backup reader and 14-point type.

  2. Lumen Learning, Public Speaking, Articulation, Pitch, and Rate. A public speaking pace of 125 to 150 words a minute, used for the slow and fast ends of the ruler.

  3. Baruch College, Tools for Clear Speech, Speaking Rate. About 140 words a minute, used for the normal pace.

Time it with your own words.

Preparing any speech is free, and so are practicing and delivering its first 2 minutes.

Lectern comes to the App Store on Thursday, November 19. One email when it’s out, and nothing else.

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