That having been said, I have been told by many officers that they have made up their minds as to whether or not to issue a citation before they even get out of their patrol cars. Because of this fact, the safest bet when faced with one of these unpleasant situations is to err on the side of caution and be very respectful to the officer at the scene (while quietly documenting the circumstances of the alleged violation for a challenge in the most appropriate forum - i.e. a court of law).

Yup, exactly. The book went into great detail about this.

In order to talk your way out of a ticket, you first need to be certain of whether or not the officer got a decent clocking, and how the clocking was obtained. Like you said, in many cases the officer is ready to write you up before he even walks up to your car. If he got an ironclad clocking, giving him a hard time is only going to solidify that decision. If you are respectful and polite, you might be able to admit your speed, apoligize, and throw yourself on his mercy. It's worked for me (once...).

However, you might have reason to believe he didn't actually get a good clocking, and he's the type that's pulling you over just to be snarky and make you admit your speed verbally. In that case you can (respectfully) ask what proof he's got, and intimate that you'd challenge the citation. In those situations, he's going to get REALLY MAD, but he won't cite you because you've just called his bluff. These days, this sort of thing doesn't happen very often and certainly not with the CHP (they're too professional about clocking you and have always-on video equipment). But sometimes you can get away with it with underequipped small town cops. I've never been in this situation, but the book cited some great anecdotes about those kinds of situations.