STFU

The Power of Keeping Your Mouth Shut in a World That Won’t Stop Talking

By: Dan Lyons

Narrated by: Dan Lyons

Would our lives, relationships and careers be better if we just STFU for a while?

We live in a world that doesn’t just encourage overtalking, but practically demands it. When success is measured by how much attention we can attract, how long we can hold on to the mic, it’s no wonder that we feel compelled to spout endlessly on Twitter, to document every detail of our lives on Instagram, start that podcast, or lead that conference.

And yet, oddly enough, the most powerful and accomplished people in the world aren’t part of that chorus—they’re reserved, they listen, and when they do speak they’re considered. Tim Cook, President Obama, the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg all have seemed to understand the secret golden rule: talk less, get more. There are entire industries designed to help us amplify our voices, experts who are just dying to coach us on how to talk better, but nobody is teaching us how to STFU for a while.

Former Forbes journalist Dan Lyons takes us on a sharp, funny, fascinating deep dive through our incessant noise-making – talking to communications experts, neuroscientists, psychiatrists and Silicon Valley executive coaches the world over to understand the science and culture behind why we can’t stop talking, and how ultimately we can learn to speak less – and with more intention – to improve our lives.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Dan Lyons (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

‘Read this book–your boss will thank you. Your spouse will thank you. And you'll thank yourself! Good communication is measured not by the speaker, but by the listener. How can you know what's going on in another person's ear? Start by STFU! For most of us, that's easier said than done. Dan Lyons will explain how to do it, and why it will improve your relationships at work and at home.’
Kim Scott, New York Times bestselling author of Radical Candor

“Lyons cuts through the noise even as he critiques it. Timely, clever, and important. Need I say more? (Probably not).”
David Litt, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama

“Want to help with those loudmouthed jerks, the ones polluting our media and our minds of late? Want to avoid being one yourself? STFU teaches us what we all need to learn: how to listen, pause and speak. How to communicate with intention, and power. The book opens your mind by closing your mouth. I could go on, but I’ll shut up now.”
Aaron James, author of the bestselling Assholes: A Theory