Parliamentary Procedure: #Superbowl LDE

Nerves and excitement filled the air. Yet the competitors were confident in what they knew and what their team could do. Tap, tap, tap! The meeting had come to order, and a whirlwind of motions began. Welcome to the Parliamentary Procedure LDE at the National FFA Convention.

Congrats to Liberty Ranch FFA Chapter - 2017 Parliamentary Procedure National Champions!

The mission of FFA is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. With that mission in mind, it makes perfect sense that parliamentary procedure is one of the many events that FFA members can participate. The purpose of the Parliamentary Procedure LDE is "to encourage students to learn to effectively participate in a business meeting and to assist in the development of their leadership, research, problem solving skills and critical thinking skills."

Last year was my first experience with Parli Pro at National FFA Convention, and let me tell you, it is INTENSE. This multi-day event has five phases that teams of 6 complete:

1. Written examination 
2. An 11 minute team presentation of parliamentary procedure 
3. Oral questions following the presentation 
4. Team problem solving practicum 
5. Individual practicum focused on minutes and other records.

Now that I have some parliamentary procedure knowledge from class, I am even more impressed with how much those students know and how much time/effort they put in to preparing and practicing. Here is a video from the 2016 Parliamentary Procedure Finals at the National FFA Convention (There are multiple teams competing in this video) :

Check out the 2017 Parliamentary Procedure LDE to see how this event is structured and everything that the students learn to compete!