STFU

STFU stands for Shut the F**k Up, and that's the premise in a nutshell. It will be a practical, life-enhancing book that's also a lot of fun to read.

We live in a world that doesn't just encourage overtalking, but practically demands it: success is often measured by how much attention we can attract. However, overtalking—in person and on social media; with friends and family, colleagues and strangers alike—can be a profound personal and professional liability. In STFU, Dan Lyons, a journalist, author, and avowed overtalker, brings us on a deep dive into our incessant noise making. STFU will examine the history, culture, science, and psychology of overtalking to search for answers to a simple question: why do we find it so difficult to shut up and how can we learn to do it?

Lyons will take a hard (but also hilarious) look at himself and his fellow motormouths: there are six kinds, ranging from Nervous Talkers to Blurters to Talkaholics. Luckily, there are also six proven behavioral modifications that can counter the overtalking impulse and help us become happier, more creative, and more successful. Lyons will interview experts in the field, from the communication researchers who have devised the Talkaholic Scale test to the banker-turned-Buddhist executive coach teaching Silicon Valley business leaders how to pipe down. He'll illuminate the “quiet power” of top business leaders and political figures such as Barack Obama and Tim Cook. He'll examine the behavioral and brain science behind overtalking and silence, and will pepper the narrative with colorful examples throughout history (Socrates did not know how to STFU).

STFU will illuminate how all of us can unlock incredible power and transform our lives by learning how to talk less, listen more, and embrace the power of silence.


Dan Lyons is a veteran journalist, author, and screenwriter (all jobs that are built for blabbermouths, as he'll tell you) who spent a decade covering Silicon Valley for Forbes, years running tech coverage at Newsweek, and authored a popular column at Fortune. He's contributed to The New York Times, Wired, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker. He is the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir DISRUPTED: My Adventures in the Startup Bubble, which has been translated into a dozen languages and optioned for film/tv, as well as LAB RATS: How Silicon Valley Made Work Miserable for the Rest of Us, and OPTIONS, a satirical novel written in the voice of Steve Jobs. He was, for years, co-producer and writer for the HBO series Silicon Valley. Dan is a frequent speaker (even with his reformation) who has done countless TV and radio appearances. He plans to scorn his own good advice in promoting this book just as vocally.