We keep a whiteboard mounted on the wall behind the DM chair so we can list Initiative order in a way that everyone can see. This helps speed up combat because the other members of the party can be more mindful, i.e. "My turn's next; have I decided what to do?" or "Okay, there's 5 more people before I go, so I have enough time to go to the bathroom at this juncture."
I have had groups where like battlehammer we used a stop watch to a good effect.
Im a very strict GM when it comes to time, I push the player's by telling them their characters only have x much time to think in-game ("I told you the Constable was arriving in 5 minutes 30 minutes ago, I think your planning time is up guys!")
When a single player is taking a lot of time I delay his round for the next ally to take his turn, if the next in turn is an enemy I implore him to make a decision immediately. Out of combat I never allow single players to bog the game down with trivial stunts unless they do it reasonably quickly or if every other player is enjoying it too, if there is a problem the solution is to ask the other players what they are doing and the attention grabber will loose all traction.
If there is any problem that arises regularily it is that the entire group gets caught up in some crazy plot to overcome a trivial encounter.
One time when a character was about to climb a completely normal, easily climbable cliff the party went into "Climbing everest" mode, they all looked a bit silly when i said out oud "Ok thats a good plan, OOooorrrrrr the Gm could just say "And then he climbed up the cliff" and be done with this place in 5 seconds!!", and the GM did and the horrible cliff of moderate difficulty was climbed with no issue.
I found rolling to-hit, damage, and whatever other dice are needed for an attack, at the same time, speeds up the game a little.
Once you get past about level 10, using averages for some rolls can be helpful.
Taking specific breaks from the game occasionally provides more of a sense of focus and urgency to play time. It is easier to say, "hold that thought for a few minutes" rather then, "stop talking about non-game stuff".
EDIT: tsuruki's post reminded me of another concept. Beware of giving PC's situations where they will be under a very strict time limit once the encounter begins. Players will logically want to make a good plan for whatever possible situations they will encounter, and this can take forever. For example, if the encounters requires exploring the entire area accessed through potions of fly spell, most players are going to want to make a detailed plan before hand. This can devolve into endless speculative arguments about possible contingencies. If your groups planning is taking way too long, consider allowing the players a few chances to talk things out for a minute of two without taking game time. This can simulate the plan the adventures spent the previous evening planning, without spending a whole night of real time.
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As GM I have taken it upon myself to track initiative. I know its a common belief that giving it to a player takes a load off the GM but its never worked out that way for me. I find players often have their heads filled with ideas about what to do on their turn. (Which is awesome I want that) However, it also allows them to loose track of initiative with folks often calling out "Who is next?!" So to speed up my game I took over initiative and run it like a foremen.
Which brings up another speed of play tip, as GM you control the pace don't be afraid to kill off-topic convos and other distractions. Sometimes a break is in order and sometimes funny or interesting topics spring up. I recommend you let them but at some point you need to be ready to cut it off. Scheduling meal breaks for long sessions is not the worst idea. Also, maybe a 30min catch up and BS period before the session starts can also help.
Laptops and tablets are a godsend. I know at least 30 folks will pop in and say, " thats badwrong dont listen to Pan!!" but seriously tech is a lifesaver. I got a guy who insists on having books at the table. I can out find any rules topic in a fraction of the time it takes him to pour over his books. There are also great combat programs and ways that online systems can help even a table top game. I recommend making tech work for you. If tech becomes a distraction you may need to look back to my second tip.
-cheers
