How to Present Oral Reasons for Georgia 4-H Judging Events

1. How to Present Oral Reasons for Georgia 4-H Judging Events

2. What are oral reasons? • Oral reasons are presented by 4-H members in the following judging events: Cotton Boll/Consumer Judging, Horse Judging, Poultry Judging, Livestock Judging, Dairy Judging, and Wildlife Judging. • There are four parts to oral reasons: opening statement, general statement, explanation of reasons, and closing statement.

3. Opening Statement • In the opening statement, you name the class and the order of placing. • For animal classes, the term ‘today’ is often used because animals may change from day to day. • Examples – • I placed this class of deli snacks 2-1-3-4. • Today, I placed this class of market lambs 4-2-1-3.

4. General Statement • The general statement gives your personal impressions of the class. • Examples – • This was an easy class to place with an obvious top and bottom pair. • The was a relatively difficult class to place with a close top and bottom pair.

5. Explanation of Reasons • In the explanation of reasons, you are simply telling why you placed this class the way you did. You will explain the major differences between the top pair, middle pair, and bottom pair. • Use comparison words – grant, admit, fault, etc. • Be specific as possible. The more details the better. • If possible, refer back to the scenario.

6. Example of Explanation of Reasons I placed item 2, the No-Ad sunscreen over item 1, the Coppertone sunscreen. Both sunscreens protected against UVA and UVB rays. The No-Ad sunscreen had a sun protection factor or SPF of 30 while the Coppertone had an SPF of 20. The No-Ad was also paba-free. However, I do fault it for costing more than the Coppertone. The Coppertone cost $1.59 per ounce. The No-Ad sunscreen was the cheapest item and cost $0.79 per ounce. In the middle pair, I placed item 1 over item 4, the Blue Lizard sunscreen. The Coppertone protected against UVA and UVB rays. The Blue Lizard only protected against UVB rays. The Blue Lizard sunscreen also had a SPF of 15. It also cost $1.12 per ounce which is more than item 1’s cost. In the bottom pair, I placed item 4 over item 3, the Active Clip-On sunscreen. The Blue Lizard cost considerably less than the Active Clip-On. The Active Clip-On cost $3.89 per ounce. Also, it didn’t state if it protected against UVA or UVB rays. The Blue Lizard did protect against UVB rays. I placed item 3 on the bottom because it was the most expensive brand and only contained 2 ounces – not near enough sunscreen for a person for an entire weekend at the lake. It also didn’t protect UVA or UVB rays. The SPF was 10, the lowest SPF of all four brands. It wasn’t paba-free. It is the obvious bottom item.

7. Closing Statement • In the closing statement, you simply restate your placings for the class. • Examples – • Therefore, for these reasons, I placed this class of breeding ewes 3-2-1-4. Thank you. • Because of these reasons given, I places this class of formal wear 4-1-3-2. Thank you.

8. Reasons Scoring • Your reasons will be scored on • Accuracy & completeness – the placing and facts given. Accuracy is a key. • Confidence – used the decision-making process and believe your answer is correct. • Experience – knowledge and use of the specific terms for the specific item being judged. • Poise – at ease, good use of grammar and speaking skills, wide awake and alert.

9. For the class you are giving reasons on, you should … • Have in mind a clear picture of the entire class • Know the qualities and standards of the item/animal being judged • Be able to compare the good and poor qualities of each item/animal • Make detailed notes and study them; do not read your notes