Anastasia Dedyukhina

Anastasia Dedyukhina Speaking Topics

• How To Develop Creative And Innovative Thinking In The Digital Age

  Research shows that in the next 10 years, nearly half of the jobs in developed countries will be automated. However, the more creative or out-of-the-box thinking element a job has, the less likely it is to be automated. Creative thinking is supposed to be one of the competitive advantages in the digital age. How can we develop it and do we do it?

  In this insightful and entertaining talk, Dr. Anastasia Dedyukhina explores what a creative brain looks like from the neuroscience perspective, discusses the benefits of “slow” vs. “fast” creativity, and the relationship between boredom and creativity. She will share the methodology of the creative process that Disney used, which any company or person can use. She will also debate whether robots can be creative and the impact of digitization and AI on creativity.

  Questions Covered:

  • The relationship between boredom, daydreaming, and creativity
  • The role of the default network and its relationship to creativity
  • How digital devices can help and hurt creativity
  • Zoom stifles creativity: Why creativity is related to spatial awareness and how online brainstorming impacts creativity
  • Slow vs. fast creativity and the requirements of the modern digital world

  Audience Takeaways:

  • Learn neuroscience-based strategies to develop creative thinking and innovation in the organization
  • Understand how technology can enhance or intervene with creative thinking and what to do about it
  • Acquire tools to effectively brainstorm and generate innovative ideas both individually and in teams in remote and hybrid environments

  This talk has been presented to several large clients, including Microsoft USA (online) and got excellent feedback. Feedback from Kate Russell, HR Lead, HR4HR Microsoft: “I personally took a lot away from the presentation that I’m going to apply in my own life and habits. As you can see from the polls, others did as well”. polls, others did as well”.

• The Distracted Mind. How Learning And Memory Change In The Digital Age

  The human memory and learning abilities are undergoing a massive transformation as a result of digitization. We outsource our memory to our devices (the so-called “digital amnesia”) and are less and less able to concentrate on something for a long time, which is a key to learning. In fact, we switch our attention eery 44-50 seconds. How can you teach anyone new skills under such circumstances?

  Should we be worried about losing these abilities, or embrace the new reality, where technology has the leading role? And should the whole learning process be transformed, now that information is freely available out there?

  In this highly entertaining and interactive talk Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina explores how the internet is changing our brain, memory, and learning. She will explain, how the memory works and why it’s embodied in human body and the environment, and therefore different from computer memory. She will talk about the four stages of learning from the neuroscience perspective, and how technology may support or interfere with learning. She will also discuss qualities that today’s students will need to develop in order to learn effectively.

  Questions Covered:

  • 4 stages of learning and how tech interferes with it
  • How human vs animal attention works
  • How digital devices and AI may interfere with humans memorizing and learning
  • Differences between human and computer learning
  • Experience what it’s like to learn as a human

  Audience Outcomes:

  • Explore the neuroscience behind memory and learning and how our digital devices change it with a digital well-being expert.
  • Understand neurohormones driving people’s attention and memorization and the “digital amnesia” phenomenon.
  • Learn best strategies to stay focused and learn in the digital age and manage digital distractions.
  • Understand, which qualities we need to encourage in students and how to use technology like ChatGPT or VR to do that
  • Learn, why you should resist creating shorter and shorter learning programs and how to help employees restore their attention.

  This talk has been performed various times to international audiences of L&D professionals, including twice at the major conference of the Association of Talent Development (2023 and 2024), the world’s largest training professional associations, and received outstanding feedback. Anonymous feedback from a participant of ATD conference in 2023: “Obviously knows her stuff • smart, engaging, and absolutely kept me riveted the entire hour.”

The Real Future Of Work: Is Your Company Ready?

What is the real Future of Work? Will humans or machines work for your business?

Your organization is not ready for the Future of Work if your employees are constantly distracted, have no time to think creatively, lack resilience facing rapid tech development, and show signs of burnouts and mental health problems. Multimillion investment in digital transformation fail if the human side of it is neglected.

In the Future of Work, software skills play only a partial role. To stay relevant, employees will need to develop critical thinking, self-management, effective communication, and empathy skills (McKinsey report). This is impossible without establishing a healthy digital wellbeing culture first.

If your organization wants to stay relevant in the coming years, you urgently need to stop confusing digital skills and skills we’ll need to thrive in the digital age. You need to start prioritizing and investing in human, not digital, skills.

In this interactive and fun session, Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina will discuss the choice that we will have to make in the nearest future between integrating with the machines or staying humans and suggest how to prepare ourselves for the future when machines have more and more power.

Questions Covered:

• What 56 qualities guarantee people’s thriving in the future of work based on the McKinsey report, and how can we encourage more of them?
• The current digital behavior of employees and the digital culture of your company – the signs that they are problematic and won’t allow you to move to the future of work
• How various types of leadership affect technostress
• What type of leadership is needed to lead the digital and AI transformation of your organization
• Challenges that AI brings to the workplace – lack of creativity, techno-stress, and loneliness. How to handle these risks.
• Why you need to invest in humans, not into algorithms – a business case

Audience Outcomes:

• Understand the critical human skills needed to thrive in the digital age and how to cultivate them within an organization.
• Learn strategies to create a healthy digital wellbeing culture in your organization.
• Gain insights into the types of leadership that effectively manage technostress and lead digital transformation.
• Learn how to identify and mitigate the risks of AI in the workplace, including creativity decline, technostress, and loneliness.
• Understand the business case for prioritizing human skills over algorithms.
• Acquire tools to foster resilience and mental health in employees amidst rapid technological change.
• Explore methods to encourage effective communication and empathy within your teams.

Attention And Focus In The Digital Age

Time recommended: up to 45 minutes + 15 minutes for Q&A Number of attendees: unlimited Software requirements: must have interactive features Recording: available upon request for internal use only, cannot be shared with 3rd parties or used for commercial purposes

Questions Covered:

• Human vs animal attention: which one do your devices trigger?
• Fast vs slow thinking processes
• Effects of multitasking on productivity
• Why attention suffers more in the hybrid/remote environment and what to do about it
• Attention cycles and how to use them for your maximum productivity

As a result, employees will be able to:

1. Identify which type of attention their devices trigger and adjust their usage to enhance focus and productivity.
2. Leverage slow and fast thinking techniques to improve decision-making and problem-solving skills.
3. Implement strategies to minimize multitasking and optimize their focus on single tasks, leading to higher efficiency and better work outcomes.
4. Develop personalized schedules that align with their natural attention cycles, allowing them to work more effectively and achieve peak performance.

Managing Digital Stress

Time recommended: up to 45 minutes + 15 minutes for Q&A Number of attendees: unlimited Software requirements: must have interactive features Recording: available upon request for internal use only, cannot be shared with 3rd parties or used for commercial purposes

Questions Covered:

• Polyvagal theory. 3 levels of the nervous system
• Types and causes of digital stress: from FOMO to Zoom fatigue
• Why multitasking is damaging not just for productivity, but also for health
• Circadian rhythms, sleep and devices
• Ways to manage digital stress at work and outside of work
• What are the risk factors for low digital wellbeing – in yourself and employees

As a result, employees will be able to:

1. Apply understanding of polyvagal theory to recognize their physiological responses to stress and develop strategies to promote a state of calm and focus.
2. Recognize various types of digital stress, understand the underlying causes of these stresses and how they specifically affect their professional and personal lives.
3. Adjust their work habits and device usage to align with their natural sleep cycles, leading to better sleep quality and overall health.
4. Develop and implement strategies to enhance digital wellbeing and create a healthier digital environment for themselves and their teams.