You can give more technical talks than you do.

And you should. Being able to educate people is powerful. You'll convince people to follow your lead. And you can't explain something if you don't understand it, so giving talks will teach you to organize your thoughts clearly.

Unfortunately, public speaking is intimidating.

• Do you think you don't have anything to say?

• Are you afraid people won't be interested?

• Do you worry you aren't an expert?

These fears are understandable. Here's how you can make a worthwhile, interesting talk.

1. Commit to only a five-minute talk.

A short talk removes much of the pressure -- no one expects a world-changing event. You can prepare quickly, so give several to get over jitters. And even if it is rough, it's over fast.

You can talk before a technical event, at a work lunch, or even at an evening with your friends. Most event organizers have to beg speakers to volunteer.

2. Pick something you learned.

Thinking about what other people want is a foreign, unfamiliar process. So pick something that helped you, like a programming language peculiarity or hidden feature of your shell. If it's interesting to you, it will be to others. Take five minutes and list ideas. If you take time to think, you'll get something worth talking about.

3. Outline the talk.

The hard part -- getting started -- is done! Now outline it. Explain the problem, the solution, and how it solves the problem. You don't need to write down every word, just general ideas.

4. Give the talk.

Speak casually, like you are talking to a friend. You don't need to be an expert. Just explain this cool thing you know about to some people that hadn't heard about it.

Giving talks will level up your skills. You'll think more clearly. You'll convince others to follow your lead. You'll be more confident, because you've proved to yourself you deserve to be.