Marianne Menzies and Ian Riach delivered an interesting session both theory and practice and for all those who attended you might find the following useful
Extract from World Bowls Guidelines for Markers
Communication of information by the Marker
Only answer questions asked by the player in possession of the rink, remembering that possession of the rink passes to the opponent as soon as a bowl comes to rest, allowing time for marking that bowl as a toucher.
Only answer the question asked and be concise. For example, if you are asked “Am I holding shot” – then answer “Yes”.
In general, don’t provide information that has not been asked for! Equally, use common sense. For example: if you are asked “Am I holding shot” and the player is holding two shots, you should say;
“Yes, you are holding two”.
If you are unsure which is shot bowl, don’t be afraid to say that it is a measure. Don’t be forced into making a decision when you are unsure.
It is important to have an understanding of the type of questions which players are likely to ask and to be able to anticipate the information that they are looking for – you are their eyes at the head.
For example, if a player asks “Is that bowl jack high?” and the bowl is not exactly jack high, tell the player how far short or past jack high it actually is.
Be as accurate as you can when giving distances. For example, if a bowl is 45 centimetres (18 inches) short do not say that it is 60 centimetres (two feet) short -players will quickly lose confidence in you if you do.