How Tennessee FFA Leadership Development Events Work
Leadership development events, or LDEs, are the speaking and meeting contests of FFA: reciting the creed, giving a prepared or extemporaneous speech, presenting an employment interview, running a chapter meeting by parliamentary rules. Tennessee FFA runs them from the chapter up through sub-regional, regional and state levels, ending with the state convention in Gatlinburg. The schedule below comes from the most recent full Tennessee FFA calendars posted online, which cover the 2024-25 season, so use it as a map of the year and confirm this year's dates with your advisor and tnffa.org.
The Event List
The West Tennessee FFA contest sheet lists these leadership and speaking events held at the state convention, with their format and how teams qualify:
- Conduct of Chapter Meetings: team of 7, top 2 teams per region
- Parliamentary Procedure: team of 6, top 2 teams per region
- Creed Speaking: individual, top 2 per region
- Prepared Public Speaking: individual, top 2 per region
- Extemporaneous Public Speaking: individual, top 2 per region
- Employment Skills: individual, top 2 per region
- Quiz Bowl, Junior and Senior: team of 1 to 4, open to all
The same sheet lists Agricultural Issues for teams of 3 to 7 and Agricultural Education for individuals, and notes that Ag Issues presentations may include official dress, costumes or props. The sheet does not label which of these are LDEs, so ask your advisor how your chapter should classify them.
What Conduct of Chapter Meetings Looks Like
In Conduct of Chapter Meetings, per a National FFA story on a state champion, teams run opening ceremonies, debate assigned motions under parliamentary procedure and conduct closing ceremonies. The 2026 state title went to Monterey FFA, a team of seven freshmen whose win was the chapter's first in the event and earned a trip to the National FFA Convention and Expo. The 98th Tennessee State Convention was held in Gatlinburg that March, and the 99th is planned for 2027.
The Path From Chapter to State
Each region builds its own ladder, so check your regional calendar. The sample season looked like this:
- Middle Tennessee: sectional team speaking (Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings) on November 14, regional team speaking on November 21 at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, individual speaking in January at the sectional level, and regional individual speaking on January 30 at Lebanon High School, per the Middle Tennessee calendar
- East Tennessee: Parliamentary Procedure and Conduct of Chapter Meetings LDEs on December 10, sub-regional speaking LDEs (Creed, Prepared, Extemporaneous and Employment Skills) on January 22, and regional speaking on February 1, per the East Tennessee calendar
- West Tennessee: Conduct of Chapter Meetings and Parliamentary Procedure on December 9 at Dyersburg High School, with speaking finals February 13 in Crockett County, per the West Tennessee calendar
State winners get a head start in late summer. State Winners Prep Day at the Ellington Agricultural Center covers Prepared Public Speaking, Extemporaneous Speaking, Creed Speaking, Employment Skills, Ag Issues, Marketing Plan and Ag Communications.
Deadlines and Paperwork
- Open convention events required registration by late February in the sample season.
- Paperwork such as Employment Skills materials and prepared speech manuscripts was due on the Judging Card system by March 1.
- Regional speaking registrations were due in January or early February, depending on region.
- Prepared Public Speaking manuscripts were due a week or so before regional speaking in West Tennessee.
Fair Speaking Contests and Younger Members
Leadership contests start well before regionals. The East Tennessee calendar lists an Appalachian Fair prepared speaking contest on August 23 and a Tennessee Valley Fair FFA public speaking contest on September 9. West Tennessee ran a Middle School Creed Speaking contest in Crockett County on February 13 and Middle School Ceremonies Conduct of Chapter Meetings and Parliamentary Procedure finals at Dyersburg High School on December 10. Middle school events are a good way for younger members to practice the format before high school.
Leadership training sits alongside the contests. The sample calendars list the Tennessee Leadership Conference at Blackman High School on January 24 and 25, a CTSO Fall Leadership Conference in late October and early November, and the Cultivate and Emerge Conference at Camp Clements on November 22 and 23. The Middle Tennessee calendar adds a Discovery and Greenhand Conference at Camp Clements in September.
Dress and Conduct
Events that score appearance follow the most recent National FFA official dress standards, and competitors should follow the National FFA Code of Ethics. For most LDEs the dress column reads "Yes," which means official dress. Ag Issues is the exception, with optional dress.
Preparing
- Pick an event that suits you: speaking alone, interviewing, or working on a team.
- For team events, practice with the full team early. Conduct of Chapter Meetings needs seven people and Parliamentary Procedure six.
- Run mock contests at your chapter before regionals.
- Get the current scorecards and rules from your advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people are on a Conduct of Chapter Meetings team?
Seven.
How many speakers from my region reach the state convention?
The top two in Creed, Prepared, Extemporaneous and Employment Skills, per the contest sheet.
Where is the state convention?
Gatlinburg.
Are first-year members eligible?
Yes. The 2026 state champion in Conduct of Chapter Meetings was a team of freshmen.
Guide checked Nov. 11, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the organizer.