Making combat faster

[Someone]

Make your players help you.

One of them can keep initiative and announce who goes next. Other can manage things like spell durations, and a third can add the damage dealt to enemies (he announces the new total and you say if he´s dead or continues alive).

This has advantages and benefits. The bad thing is that they may know things the wouldn´t otherwise: for example if you say the player keeping spell duration that the enemy spellcaster´s Haste will end in round X they instantly know the wizard´s level (just scare them now and then casting an extended one!) The advantage is, this really speeds combat and shifts a lot of presseure from the DM (who´s having the hardest work) to the players.

And they are more involved, too.

 

[haiiro]

Roll to-hit and damage at the same time (along with % miss chance, etc. if applicable). I can't remember where I first saw this suggestion, but man-oh-man does save time.

This, letting folks know who's on deck, and a custom initiative chart (laminated, so it can be wiped clean after each battle) make combat go pretty quickly IMC. Within reason, I don't worry too much abut how long anyone takes on their turn, and it's rarely a problem.