Virtual Memorial Guide
  • Welcome to your guide
  • Table of contents
  • Checklist
  • Grief
    • A word on grief
    • Practices for grieving
  • Step by Step Guide
    • 1. Consider purpose & tone
    • 2. Define roles
    • 3. Choose a format
    • 4. Set up your tech
    • 5. Send invitations
    • 6. Consider the elements
    • 7. Design your program
    • 8. Customize slides
    • 9. Record facilitation notes
    • 10. Rehearse the program
    • 11. Day of Hosting
  • Memorial Elements Library
    • Opening
      • Arrival
      • Formal start & invocation
      • Orientation
    • Memorial
      • Music
      • Readings
      • Eulogies
      • Slideshow or video
      • Group activity
    • Closing
      • Letting go ceremony
      • Closing reflection
    • Post-service gathering
  • Get Involved
  • Improve this guide
  • Donate
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  • Purpose
  • Ideas
  • Slide Templates
  • Facilitation Support

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  1. Memorial Elements Library
  2. Opening

Arrival

Purpose

Since people are spending a majority of time at home, participants may need time to emotionally and energetically transition from something other activities at home into the memorial event. A short arrival phase gives participants time to reorient and be better prepared to wholly take part in a memorial.

  • The arrival creates a feeling of everyone being in a shared experience. This time gives participants an opportunity to feel:

    • You are in the right place.

    • You are connected with everyone else

    • Everyone is seeing/hearing the same thing

  • Mood setting… A moment to transition out of their personal reality and whatever was happening before the event

  • Aesthetically relevant (see an image, an altar, hear music, hear chatter, see chat)

Ideas

  • Video stream of an altar or physical memorial space. The altar could have: photos of your loved one, flowers, items significant to the honoree, religious symbols.

    • [add link to altar]

  • Show a slide with an image of the deceased

  • Put a prompt on screen asking attendees to maintain silence, and to ask questions to use the "chat" function if they have issues

  • Play music (this may be a good opportunity to play music with no words)

    • **Link to arrival playlist

  • Open the room 10 minutes prior to the start time. Arrival should end 3-5 minutes after the scheduled start time, to give people a small buffer to be late.

Slide Templates

Facilitation Support

PreviousOpeningNextFormal start & invocation

Last updated 4 years ago

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Welcome Slide with Instructions
Welcome Slide with Image