Eureka! And other such moments of raiding brilliance

Let me set the stage for you: 25 people have been wiping for over 3 hours on Kael'Thas. Tempers are high, and patience is running low. People are consistently dying over the same mistake again and again, and there is no end in sight. But wait! You have a suggestion! With this suggestion of yours the raid is sure to get over this minor roadblock, and progress to the next stage of greatness. Now comes the hard part...

How do you get your idea to the raid leader?

While often times it'll depend on what type of raiding culture your guild has, there's a few basic rules to follow.

First, never blurt a strategy out during the middle of a fight. If your guild is cool about talking out strategies over vent during raids, wait until the wipe is over to mention something. A lot of other folks are usually busy with things, even if you're dead (well, perhaps they're not busy enough!)

Second, it can never hurt to ask the raid leader permission to talk about your suggestion before you do. I find that in most raids I've been on, this is the best way to get something across. Most of the time it's greeted with a reply of "Of course, go ahead." However when the RL has something different in mind, it's his prerogative, not yours, to make the call.

Third, and perhaps the biggest, don't be a jerk about it. Much too often enemies are made out of friends by saying how such and such an idea is horrible. It never goes right, and the best thing to do is to present the idea like you're a money starved teenager asking your parents for cash.

We all have horror stories about people blurting out ideas at the worst time, and over-stressed raid leaders letting them have it. What are some of your war stories?