Hi Peter,
Practice is the key, as is getting out under a clear sky and just
looking up with a star chart handy so that you know what you are looking at quickly.
I found that I was getting quite good during the summer/autumn months at which constellation was which and therefore pinpointing DSO's and such became a doddle cause I could jump from know stars like Nightstalker listed. However, NOW, since I have been limiting my views to the eyepiece/webcam screen, I start to get a little foggy when I look up and see Scorpius UPSIDE DOWN!!.
My advice therefore is: Spend a few clear nights a month on a deckchair or even (if its warm enough) lying flat on your back staring up at the heavens with a red torch handy and a planetarium. If you have binoculars, most of the cool stuff can still be picked out with these and their wide field of view and easy to point optics make it a joy to look up and become familiar with the sky's view for that time of the year. Once you get familiar with the constellations or find something nice to look at closer, point your scope at it (but keep your binoculars handy) for a better view.
One thing I might add which is quite cool is to mount your binoculars on the scope rings using a tripod adaptor and then use the binoculars as a "finderscope" which is fabulous for scanning around, locking down and then using the eyepiece to ZOOM in on the cool stuff.
Them's my thoughts...
Cheers
Chris