Shut Up and Listen UP209
When most well-intentioned Aid workers hear of a problem they think they can fix, they go to work. This, Ernesto Sirolli suggests, is naïve. In this talk, he proposes that the first step is to listen to the people you're trying to help, and tap into their own entrepreneurial spirit.
Ernesto Sirolli is one of the world's leading consultants on the topic of economic development. He started working in the field of International Aid in Africa in 1971 and has since worked in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Latin America and Asia in projects that promote local entrepreneurship and local self determination.
He is the author of two books "Ripples from the Zambezi" a best seller that is used by Economic Development Faculties in Universities the world over, and "How to start a business and ignite your life" a book aimed at would be entrepreneurs.
In 2012 Sirolli was invited to give a TED TALK; his talk "Shut up and Listen" has been translated in 31 languages and downloaded more than 2.8 million times.