From Creed Speaking to Conference Rooms: The Through-Line of Public Speaking

The Long Game: How FFA Leadership Pays Off in Careers, College, and Life

By FFApresident.com Editorial

FFA speaking events form a ladder: the Creed, prepared speeches, extemporaneous speaking and, for some, a national stage. Alumni often point to that ladder when they describe the speaking they do later. This article follows the through-line from a memorized Creed to a conference-room presentation, cites what alumni and FFA say about each step and offers a practical plan, without claiming a contest causes workplace speaking skill.

Key takeaway: each FFA speaking event trains a different piece of presenting: memory, structure and thinking on your feet.
Related: this site’s earlier articles on Creed speaking, prepared speaking and extemporaneous speaking.

The Ladder

Rung one: the Creed

The FFA Creed is a fixed text that members memorize and deliver. Janet Adkison, host of “FFA Today” on RFD-TV, told FFA that memorizing the Creed in her first year was the first time she had memorized anything, and that she can still recite it (source). For details on the event, see this site’s article on Creed speaking.

Rung two: prepared speaking

Prepared speaking adds research and structure. Gary Swan, the 1966–67 president, says he moved from finishing near the bottom of his first contest to a second-place finish at a major exposition, and he traces his success to those speaking events (source).

Rung three: thinking on your feet

Extemporaneous speaking removes the script. Major General Tammy Smith credited parliamentary procedure with teaching her how to get attention when she had something important to say, and public speaking with teaching her to communicate clearly (source).

What Carries Into a Conference Room

Skill	Where you first practice it	Workplace use
Memory under pressure	Creed	Delivering key points without notes
Structure	Prepared speech	Briefings and proposals
Improvisation	Extemporaneous	Answering unexpected questions
Persuasion	Parliamentary debate	Making your case in a meeting

The table is this site’s reading, not an FFA claim. Mark Mayfield, the 1973–74 president, told FFA in 2024 that he is a professional speaker and trainer and credits his officer year with building his speaking skills (source).

A Plan for Each Stage

Beginner: memorize something short and deliver it to one person.
Intermediate: give a three-minute talk with an opening, three points and a close.
Advanced: answer an unexpected question for two minutes without notes.
Workplace: offer to present a short update at your next team meeting.

The plan is this site’s suggestion.

Questions Readers Ask

Does memorizing the Creed really help at work?

FFA does not claim so. What the Creed offers is practice in memory and delivery, which Adkison links to feeling more comfortable speaking. How far that carries into a workplace depends on how often you speak later and how you practice.

Which event should I start with?

FFA’s own advice in its selection guide is to begin with your interests and talk to your advisor, and it notes that many students progress from Creed Speaking to Prepared and then Extemporaneous Public Speaking. This site’s earlier article on choosing events covers that advice.

What if I never compete?

Speaking opportunities also appear in chapter meetings, committee reports and community events. A short update at a meeting is a legitimate rung on the ladder, even if it never earns a ribbon.

Honest Limits

Alumni accounts are personal and selected by FFA. No source here measures presentation quality before and after FFA events. Event formats change, so check the current event handbook.

On this site, Mark Mayfield became a speaker and trainer, Gary Swan worked in agricultural advocacy and Jan Eberly became the first woman to serve as National FFA President and later an economist. Their bios do not say which events they entered.

Sources

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