1) Are there any excellent solutions to this problem that folks have found?
Excellent, I don't know of. One solution to distracted players that I would like to see experimented with is replacing monster attacks with "defensive" rolls. Subtract 10 (or 9? whatever gets the same exact odds) from each defense, and use that as a bonus to a d20 roll, the target number of which is the monster's attack roll+10. DM still rolls damage. This might keep players involved in their characters out of their turn, at least if they're being attacked.
2) How long, on average, are your player's turns in combat? Is 8 minutes very slow, slow, or average?
My experience with a variety of groups is similar to yours, [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]. My online groups tend to be a bit better. There, we have a clear initiative mechanic, and maptools notifies when a player's turn ends and another's begins, shifting responsibility appropriately and visibly.
I tried recommending Essentials classes but none of the slower folks took me up on it. And I'm not convinced anything short of a Slayer is that much less complex in Essentials either; for example the Barbarian is pretty straight-forward whereas the essentials Berserker adds a defender-to-striker switch mechanic just as complicated as any rage daily power.
I agree somewhat. I think that essentials thieves have a slightly easier time choosing what to do, since they basically just use the at-will that gives them combat advantage, and then pile on as many uses of their extra-damage encounter power as they can, unless their target is clearly KO without it.
In general I think the layout of 4e character sheets sucks and should be more like a monster writeup to facilitate faster player turns.
This is an excellent notion. My excel character sheets powers are laid out by action type (which approximates your suggestion), but I wish I would highlight the triggers more clearly.
My first question on this would be, "was everyone still enjoying themselves even with the long turns?" If the answer is some were looking for something else to do, then you have an issue that should be addressed. If not then carry on, and keep enjoying the game at whatever pace it's progressing.
This is an excellent point. I agree with it completely.
The only times we have very long combat rounds is when a lot of side conversations are going on, or when "helpful" advice is causing analysis paralysis. ... "Helpful" advice is the worst offender when it comes to pacing.
Another excellent point. As a player, I try to strike the balance between "helpful" and "analysis paralysis" by only stating my thoughts once. I often fail at striking this balance, and truth be told, it usually doesn't matter much.
On the other hand, these conversations are fun for me. Talking about something I enjoy, looking at things analytically, sharing thoughts (mine and theirs) with my friends, are all prime goals in my life. I'm not sure I'd enjoy the game as much without these bits.
I provoke attacks of opportunity, and trigger combat challenge with impunity.
I think this is a very underrated tactic, although I imagine DMs on these boards know about them. Many DMs I know only rarely trigger trigger these attacks.