So it's not necessarily placement that you're looking for... it's more of; what are the primary spells we use?

Everybody is going to have their own setup and they are all different I'm sure, but TBH I think its safe to assume that all shamans have lightning bolt, CL, earth shock, and frost shock as some of the first buttons. But the tweaks are inevitable, it's all part of learning the ins and outs of the class.