No one gets fired by surprise. Your boss always gives away the plan, even if he or she never says a word. The game in tech boardrooms right now is: Fire the deadwood. Cull failed products and projects. Reprogram the spreadsheets to say you've got a year of cash and a revenue plan. Then, type up a phony layoff memo: Tough times, tough decisions. It's exhilarating, if you're the CEO told to make it happen. For the rest of us, here's the best checklist I've seen yet of verbal cues to watch for.