[cjf101]

From my experience you need three things:

0) You need a goal.

  * I want to give tech talks is good.  I want to talk about X at Y is better.
  * Keep it realistic.  When you achieve it, set the next goal.
  * Commit to the goal by signing up for it.  Runners do this and it works.  We sign up for a 5k race in a few months, and then we train for it, because now we're committed.

1) You really need to learn how to be a good speaker. This isn't actually particularly hard, but it does take a lot of work.

  * Find a good coach or program.
  * Give lots of speeches to small audiences.  People think large audiences are harder: they aren't.  
  * Get feedback from people you trust  Act on that feedback.  
  * Record yourself giving the speech and give yourself feedback.
  * Don't neglect the positive feedback.  Good public speaking is a lot about confidence, so learn what your strengths are, and bring them out.
  * Don't use slides until you can give great talks without them.  Slides distract you, and break your connection with the audience.  We think of them as speaking aides, and they can be, but they can just as easily do the opposite.
  * Learn to memorize your speeches.  If you're a musician you know why memorizing a piece is important. Same deal with speakings.
  * Murder your filler words.
  * Your talk can almost always be shorter.  The shorter talk is almost always better.

2) Have a tech topic you are passionate about. You should feel like you are the person that other people want to hear from about this topic.

  * Write about it for your self.
  * It's tech, so use it.  Build cool stuff.  Put it somewhere where other people can use it. Put where people that scare you can use it.  Maintain a project that directly relates to your passion.  
  * Develop best practices that you believe in.
  * Get involved with the global conversation about your topic.  Validate your ideas.