‘Laudatio’ means ‘I praise’ or ‘In praise of’. It is the term used in German for a speech of this sort, and I prefer it to the available English alternatives: ‘eulogy’ usually requires the lauded person to be dead; ‘tribute’ is not much better; and ‘encomium’ sounds like a letter of support for a job application. So ‘Laudatio’ it is – but the more important part of my title is ‘Richard Kilminster’.
