Write the eulogy in short spoken sentences, mark where you will breathe, and rehearse it out loud several times so the hardest lines are familiar before the service. People usually lose their place after they look up or stop to steady themselves; a script that follows your voice waits while you pause and shows where you were when you start again. Aitho's Free plan does this on your phone, with no card. Whatever you use, bring a printed copy and ask someone to be ready to finish for you.
Why it is easy to lose your place in a eulogy
Most people who lose their place in a eulogy know the words. What happens is that they look up at the family, or stop because their voice catches, and when they look back down the page is a wall of text. Shaking hands make paper harder to follow, and tears make small type hard to read.
So the goal is not to memorise the eulogy. It is to make the script easy to come back to: short paragraphs, clear breaks, and enough rehearsal that the next line is familiar when you find it.
Write it for speaking
- Ask how long you have. Many eulogies run about three to five minutes, but the family or the officiant will know how many people are speaking and how long the service is.
- Tell stories, not a résumé. One or two specific moments say more about a person than a list of achievements.
- Use short sentences. They are easier to say when your voice is unsteady, and easier to find again on the page.
- One idea per paragraph. Leave a blank line between paragraphs so each one is a place you can return to.
- Mark where to breathe. A line break or a written "(pause)" before the lines you expect to be hardest gives you permission to stop there.
- Check names. Write every name exactly, with a pronunciation note if needed, and check with the family if you are unsure.
Rehearse the hard parts out loud
Reading a eulogy silently does not prepare you for the moment your voice catches. Saying it out loud does. The first time through is often the hardest; by the third or fourth, the lines that stopped you are usually easier to get through.
Practise the recovery, too. When you stop, breathe, take a sip of water, and start again with the next sentence rather than going back to the beginning of the paragraph. Doing that a few times in rehearsal makes it feel possible on the day.
Using a script that follows your voice
A teleprompter app that follows your voice helps with exactly the moment where people get lost: it highlights the word you are on, waits while you pause, and catches up when you speak again. When you look back down, your place is marked.
Aitho attaches your script to slides, so for a eulogy make a plain PDF with one page per part, such as Opening, Stories and Closing, import it on your phone, and put the words for each part in that page's script. Choose Just this phone and tap Start. In the iPhone and iPad app, following your script works offline, which helps in a chapel or hall with weak signal. In the browser and on Android it needs a connection.
If the family is showing photos during the eulogy, Aitho can show them on the room screen and move to the next one as you reach its words, while your script stays on your phone. Only do this if the venue's screen can open a web page at aitho.app/cast and you have tested it there beforehand. Otherwise, leave the slideshow to whoever is running it.
Have a backup in place
- A printed copy in large type, double-spaced, with numbered pages, even if you plan to use your phone.
- Someone ready to step in. Give a copy to a friend or family member who can finish reading if you cannot. Most people never need it, and knowing it is there makes it easier to start.
- Water within reach, and your phone on Do Not Disturb with the screen lock set long enough for the whole eulogy.
Start free, or get the Speech Pass for this one speech
For a eulogy, the free plan is enough for most people. Aitho's Free plan costs $0, needs no card, and already includes the part that matters most for rehearsing: the script that follows your voice, waits when you pause and finds your place again. It also includes your own PDF or PowerPoint, the browser, the iPhone app and the Android app. You do not need to pay anything to rehearse a speech this way.
If you want more help with this one speech, the Speech Pass is a one-time $29 payment for 30 days of Presenter Pro. It is not a subscription. For a personal speech, the parts that make a difference are:
- AI script drafts. Draft with AI writes a first draft from your slides, which you then edit into your own words. It works from what is on the pages, so put your outline points on them first. If you are struggling to start, a draft can help you get past the blank page; the memories and the final words should be yours.
- Session insights, if you turn them on. Timing and coverage statistics for each session you run and a short debrief afterwards, so you can see whether you are running long or skipping a part. No audio is kept.
- A readiness check before you go on.
The pass also includes the rest of Presenter Pro, such as unlimited private answers and web lookups, which matter more for talks with audience questions than for a speech. After you pay, an access code arrives by email from help@aitho.app within one business day, and the 30 days start when you redeem the code, not when you pay. So buy it a few days before you plan to start rehearsing. Plan details are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a eulogy be?
Many eulogies run about three to five minutes. Ask the family or the officiant, who will know how many people are speaking and how long the service runs.
What if I start crying during the eulogy?
Stop, breathe, take a sip of water and start again with the next sentence. People expect it and will wait. Marking breath points in your script, and asking someone to be ready to finish reading for you, makes it easier to carry on.
Can I read a eulogy from my phone?
Yes. Turn on Do Not Disturb, raise the brightness, set the screen lock long enough for the whole eulogy, and bring a printed copy as well. In the iPhone and iPad app, following your script works offline; in the browser and on Android it needs a connection.
Do I need to pay to use Aitho for a eulogy?
No. The Free plan includes the voice-following script on the web, iPhone and Android, with no card.
What is the Speech Pass?
A one-time $29 payment for 30 days of Presenter Pro, for one important speech. It adds AI script drafts from your slides, opt-in session insights with timing after each session (no audio is kept) and a readiness check. Your access code arrives by email from help@aitho.app within one business day, and the 30 days start when you redeem it.
Rehearse it on your phone, free
Put the eulogy on your phone and rehearse it out loud. The script waits when you pause and shows you where you were. Free needs no card.
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