1. Brian Bolt Clemson University Animal & Veterinary Sciences
Oral Reasons
Brian Bolt
Clemson University
Animal & Veterinary Sciences

2. Class Notes Need to work for you Custom Shorthand
Help develop a mental image
Class Name
IDs
Descriptions
Comparisons

3. Notes

4. 1 2 3 4

5. Name of Class & How You Placed It Breeding Heifers #1, 1-2-3-4
1/2
2/1 Grants 2
2/3
3/2 Grants 3
3/4
4/3 Grants 4

6. Reasons Oral/Written defense of your placings Short…under two minutes
Honest
Clear
Simple
“Do the Big Things”

7. Organizing Reasons Name of Class & How You Placed It Ideally Statement
“My Placing of the Breeding Heifers is ”
Ideally Statement
“Ideally I would have liked to have seen my class winner even ______________”
But Statement
“But I still chose her over 2 in my initial comparison”

8. Organizing Reasons Next Pair
Reasons, Grants and Reasons
“As she is the _______ (est or er terms) _________....(usually only 3 concepts)…I realize that 2 is (here’s your grant) but at the same time she’s ___________ (est or er terms) so she’s second.”
Next Pair
Next Pair (Just finish it up with a strong statement)
“I grant 4 is more ________, but at the same time she is the (est terms here) in this class”

9. Some Alternatives Performance Reasons Market Classes
“After analyzing the data and interpreting the scenario I found a need for _____________, for these reasons I ranked the heifers ”
Take each pair to the scenario
Market Classes
Take each pair to the rail…carcass logic

10. Reasons The Same format every time
Do not make it more complicated than necessary
Presentation Skills, Etiquette
Exude Confidence
Eye Contact
Volume

11. Tips… Good Notes = Good Reasons Keep It Simple
Beware of Canned Reasons & Sexy Terms
Less Theatrics MORE Analysis
Make it Fun
Get ‘em over their fear of speaking in public and in front of strangers

12. The Reality
“It’s not about lining up four animals and giving reasons…it’s about making decisions and defending them” I am better for having judged livestock