SUMMER SHOWCASE “BEEF ADVOCACY” PROGRAM
Saturday, June 8, 12 Noon to 1:30 pm, MSU Pavilion Classroom C/D
Program conducted by:
• John Reasor, American Junior Shorthorn Assn. Board Member from Georgia
• Katy Satree, former National Junior Angus Assn. Member from Texas, and Meat Science Senior at Texas Tech University
OVERVIEW OF BEEF ADVOCACY
We all have opportunities in our daily lives to share information that will help others change misconceptions and negative opinions into favorable viewpoints about beef, our industry practices and way of life. From the youngest junior members to adults, everyone can be an effective spokesperson by
being informed and prepared to respond with facts. A simple, short, one-on-one “elevator pitch” can shape the attitude of both the curious and the critic in a positive, lasting way.
BEEF ADVOCACY “ELEVATOR PITCH”
An “elevator pitch” reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver a simple summary that defines a person or an idea, and its value, in the time span of an elevator ride – 30 seconds to one minute. The term comes from a scenario of an accidental meeting with someone important in an elevator. If the conversation in those few seconds is informative and interesting, the discussion may continue, or result in exchanging business cards or scheduling a meeting.
Though most of us may not ride on elevators regularly or have business cards to exchange, we do encounter people who have misconceptions about beef, animal care and agricultural practices all the time, just about everywhere we go.
The goal of this program is to help young people of all ages begin to learn to confidently deliver fact based, 30-second responses in a variety of everyday situations, that will result in better understanding and acceptance of beef safety and nutrition, animal care practices and the agricultural way of life.
EXAMPLES OF PITCH SCENARIOS
• Friend at school lunch table – beef safety and nutrition
• Friend at school lunch table – animal welfare
• Fair visitor – ethical animal care practices
• Fair visitor – beef cattle and specific breed characteristics
• Fair visitor – beef safety and nutrition
• Junior exhibitor – characteristics of your chosen breed
• Junior exhibitor – youth opportunities offered by your chosen breed organization
• School board member – life lessons learned in beef project work
• School board member – benefits of an agricurriculum in your school
• Media interview – time, effort and investment of a youth project
• Media interview – counterpoint response to animal rights protest
• Media interview – beef safety and nutrition
• Consumer in a grocery store – quality and value of specific cuts of beef
• Consumer in a grocery store – beef safety and nutrition
PROGRAM SCHEDULE – 12 Noon to 1:30 pm
10:00 am – Beef Facts “flash cards” will be available in the show office for those who wish to review them before the start of the program
12:00 to 12:15 pm – Participants gather in Classroom C/D and combine multi-age teams
12:20 pm – Intro (10 min)
Introduction of Beef Advocacy and the “elevator pitch” concept by role playing a few scenarios for everyone to watch.
12:30 pm – Team Work (30 min)
Each participant will receive a set of Beef Facts “flash cards” to use in the workshop and take home. The team will work together to become familiar with facts and practice appropriate “elevator pitch” responses to a variety of questions and scenarios we commonly encounter in daily life.
1:00 pm – Team Competition (30 min)
Each team will select 2 (or more) representatives to perform a randomly-selected “elevator pitch” scenario in front of the entire group.
All participants who perform in front of the group will receive prizes, and a “champion team” will be named.
