Write a Eulogy or Toast With AI Without Losing Your Voice

What does this setup do?

Structure a eulogy or wedding toast around your own stories, then get feedback on flow and length.

Who is it for?

Anyone asked to speak at a funeral or wedding who is staring at a blank page.

How do you set it up?

Tools

• ChatGPT or Claude (free tier is fine)
• Your memories: 2 to 3 specific stories about the person
• Notes on the tone they would have wanted

Steps

1. Write down 2 to 3 specific stories first, before any drafting. Specific moments beat general praise: the story proves "she was kind" better than the sentence does.
2. Pick the structure: opening and your relationship, who they were, the stories, what they taught you, gratitude and farewell.
3. Draft it in your own words, aiming for 3 to 7 minutes (about 400 to 900 spoken words). Skip the resume-style biography: dates and job titles summarize, stories show.
4. Ask AI for feedback only: where it drags, where the emotion lands, whether the closing earns its weight. No AI-written sentences in the final version.
5. Read every draft aloud. Rewrite anything that stumbles. Your ear is the editor.
6. Print in large font, number the pages, bring water and tissues, and name a backup reader in case you cannot finish.

Help me structure a eulogy. Feedback and structure only: do not write it for me.

Who: [relationship, e.g. my grandmother]
Tone they would want: [e.g. warm with some humor, not somber]
My stories: [2-3 specific memories, in my own words]
Length target: [e.g. 5 minutes]

Give me:
1. A structure outline: opening, story placement, closing. Fit my stories into it.
2. Feedback on my draft below: where it drags, where a transition fails, whether the closing lands. Point at problems; do not rewrite sentences.
3. A delivery checklist: printing, pacing, what to do if I break down.

Rules:
- NEVER write sentences for me to read aloud. This must be 100% my words and my memories.
- Flag anything that sounds generic enough that anyone could have written it.
- Show me the feedback. I will do all writing myself.

Which chat tools work with this prompt?

Paste the prompt into any of these assistants (free or paid tiers).

• ChatGPT
• Claude

What tips make it smoother?

• Include their voice: a saying, a quirk, a joke they always told. That is what people remember.
• A little humor is fine if it fits them. It eases tension for the room too.
• Write it out loud from the start. Eulogies are spoken, not read silently.
• If you break down mid-speech: pause, breathe, sip water, continue. The room is on your side.

Where do the claims come from?

Summaries use public sources linked below, not independent verification. How setups are picked.

• Read Westbrock Funeral Home’s write-up (www.westbrockfuneralhome.com)

  Westbrock Funeral Home: Eulogy length (3-7 minutes, 400-900 words), six-part template, delivery checklist: large font, water, backup reader.

• Read Keohane Funeral Homes’s write-up (www.keohane.com)

  Keohane Funeral Homes: Three-part structure (theme, memories, closing); revise and rehearse aloud; keep it under ten minutes.

• Read Memorial Merits’s write-up (memorialmerits.com)

  Memorial Merits: Specific stories over general praise; skip the biography; write out loud and read every draft aloud.