Giving Oral Reasons In Livestock Judging

1. Giving Oral Reasons In Livestock Judging Darrell Rothlisberger Rich County Extension Agent 435.793.2435 darrellr@ext.usu.edu

2. Oral Reasons • Teach you to organize your thoughts and defend your decision to a reason taker • Maximum time is two (2) minutes

3. Benefits from Reasons • Think more clearly • State your thoughts clearly • Improve your speaking voice • Develop memory • Learn to recall a situation clearly • What happened several hours ago or even longer

4. Benefits from Reasons • Become organized • Get your thoughts in line with what you have on paper • Express yourself in a convincing manner • Defend your decisions • Sell yourself and your ideas

5. Steps to a high score • Stand up straight and put hands behind your back. • Speak in a louder than normal speaking voice. • Greet the reasons taker with Good Morning, Good Afternoon or simply Hi or Hello • Look at the reasons taker in the eye or forehead or just over their head

6. Steps to a high score • Stand 5 to 6 feet from reasons taker • Avoid words and phrases that do not add meaning • Talk the obvious ie; the most noticeable points first • Keep reasons short and to the point • Be descriptive and complete • Do not use notes

7. Note format • Use identifying marks • Don’t memorize • Visualize

8. Reasons Format • Pleasant to hear • Easy to listen to • Easy to follow • Cover major points in the class • Use correct gender and terms specific to the particular class • Given in comparison terms

9. Reasons Format • Breaks a class of four animals into three pairs • Top, middle, bottom • Each pair is discussed in three areas • General or broad statements • Reinforcements or specific statements • Grants or criticisms

10. Be comparative Discuss only the things which you observed • Tell the truth !! • Talk in present Tense • Ie: (is not was)

11. Use Comparative terms • Bigger • Longer • More muscle • Lighter • Smaller • “er” terms • NOTE: Don’t use the same term over and over. Longer vs more extended.

12. Transition Terms • Words or phrases that help your reasons flow more smoothly. • Allows reasons taker to follow your thoughts more easily • Use voice inflection • There are lists on the internet • Search words like livestock judging reasons or terms

13. Transition Terms • Plus • Moreover • As well as • In addition • Furthermore • However • Sure • I criticize • I recognize • I grant • Additionally • Even so • Yes

14. Taking Notes • Develop your own system • So you remember • For example • BT = big top • SS= size and scale • BF = bigger frame • VD = vertical dimension

15. Basic Format • Greet the reasons taker • Top individual if obvious • Top pair • Middle pair • Bottom pair • Last animal

16. Top Pair • General Statement • Tell reason for placing 1 first and over 2 in the top pair • Reinforcements • Go into more detail to further describe your general statement • Grants • Was 2 better that 1 in any area? • Criticize 2

17. Middle pair • General Statement • Tell reason for placing 2 over 3. • Reinforcements • Go into more detail to further describe your general statement • Grants • Was 3 better that 2 in any area? • Criticize 3

18. Bottom pair • General Statement • Tell reason for placing 3 over 4. • Reinforcements • Go into more detail to further describe your general statement • Grants • Was 4 better that 3 in any area

19. Bottom animal • Explain why it is the last place animal • As compared to the rest of the class • In “est” terms • Smallest framed • Lightest muscled • Structurally most incorrect

20. The Grid Format Step 1 Step 13 closing statement

21. 13 steps to giving Reasons and taking Notes • Step 1 – Give name of class you are placing • Step 2 – Your opening statement should briefly explain why your top animal wins the class. • Step 3 – Criticize your top place animal, tell them what you see, not what you would change. Casper College

22. 13 steps to giving Reasons and taking Notes • Step 4 – Tell why your 1st place animal beats your 2nd place animal. • Step 5 – Tell what you liked better about your 2nd place animal than you did about your class winner. • Step 6 – Criticize your 2nd place animal • Step 7 – Compare your 2nd and 3rd place animals or tell why your 2nd place animal beats your 3rd place animal. Casper College

23. 13 steps to giving Reasons and taking Notes • Step 8 – Grant to your 3rd place animal or tell what you liked about your 3rd place animal. • Step 9 – Criticize or point out your 3rd place animal’s weakness. • Step 10 – Tell why your 3rd place animal beats your 4th place animal. Casper College

24. 13 steps to giving Reasons and taking Notes • Step 11 – Grant to your 4th place animal or point out his or her major strengths. • Step 12 – Criticize your 4th place animal or tell why it is last. • Step 13 – Closing Statement Casper College

25. The end of your reasons • Always say thank you