The Guide to a Dead Brilliant Funeral Speech by Neil Dorward

When Civil Funeral Celebrant Neil Dorward told me he was writing a book to help Celebrants, I was hopeful. Months later, as I read the first draft, I was thrilled beyond belief.

The final result of Neil's book is a powerful look at personal funeral service, reaching for the best possible delivery of life stories on the day of the farewell. His focus is on helping families, while encouraging Celebrants to strive for excellence with every single funeral service.

When Neil asked me to write a forward for "The Guide to a Dead Brilliant Funeral Speech," I was extremely proud to add my name as a supporter to his vision. Neil knows exactly what needs to be done to help a family and he strives for excellence, never settling for a mediocre funeral. His book encourages all active Celebrants to do the same.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Neil's book because it is unlike any other book on the market. It is a detailed, thoughtful approach to fulfilling a family's vision. Celebrants should do their homework and honestly, Neil is right: There is no fast track to a great funeral service. It takes open communication with the family, personal attention and a Celebrant's passion.

Striving for excellence with more than 1,500 funerals under his belt, Neil offers advice on meaningful funeral service and the power of delivery.

If you are a Celebrant, people need to hear you clearly at the funeral. Yes, I said it. If a story, line or word needs to be stressed, Neil explains how to do this in detail. If it's important to the family, it should be important to the Celebrant.

To me, there is nothing worse than a "mumbler" at a funeral, especially if the person who is mumbling in the same monotonous tone is the same person who is conducting the entire funeral service.

Case and point: The other day I conducted a funeral service and something powerful happened. A woman approached me at the end of services. She shook my hand and looked me in the eye as she said, "Thank you so much. I am hearing impaired and I heard every word you said at the funeral and in the mausoleum. Normally, I can't hear anything but this time I heard every word. Thank you so much."

It was a powerful moment in time to tell me that my delivery of every word was absolutely important.

Is every funeral service going to be perfect? No, of course not. But, Neil stresses that even the unexpected can make a service unique by the way you handle it.

This guide is the only book that explores, in detail, the importance of speaking skills for the Civil Funeral Celebrant.

One of Neil's stories captures the importance of striving for excellence, as he explains that a distraught family put an advertisement in the newspaper apologizing for "the dreadful service delivered at a funeral." Now, imagine this family going through the trouble of making a public apology for a funeral service. No family should have to go through that.

Neil also stresses the importance of including the family in the process by providing drafts of the service. No family should be caught by surprise at the funeral service with the one story they didn't want to tell. Fact checking, providing guidance and full disclosure are all important to the process of being a Celebrant.

If you are an active Civil Funeral Celebrant anywhere in the world, "The Guide to a Dead Brilliant Funeral Speech" is a must-have reference book. If you are a family member who is expected to speak at a funeral, this book will help you through the process tremendously. If you are interested in becoming a Celebrant, Neil's book will open the window into the world of Celebrancy.

Welcome to our world…

For more information about author Neil Dorward and "The Guide to a Dead Brilliant Funeral Speech," visit http://www.amazon.com.