Powtoon - Make Anything Interesting™

💥 Join Us Tomorrow to Discover 6 Marketing Essentials to Boost Your Training Initiative’s Reach and Impact. 💥 Elevate your learning programs to new heights! Featuring Ashley Sinclair of MAAS Marketing and Max Edwards from Powtoon, this webinar is designed to equip you with the tools to make your learning content shine within your organization. When: Wednesday 19th February Time: 4pm GMT | 11am EST Register now: https://lnkd.in/dffhA282

Powtoon Behind the Scenes: It’s all about the WHO. I interviewed a candidate who seemed perfect on paper. They had the skills and the experience, and the team was super impressed. But something felt off to me. It wasn’t anything obvious, just a gut feeling. So, I did a little extra digging. I used my network to get references about them from former colleagues that they didn’t state as a reference. What I found confirmed the feeling: Subtle red flags that didn’t show up in the interview. I decided not to move forward. Aligned hiring isn’t just about qualifications. It’s first and foremost about trust and intuition. Skills can be taught, but if something doesn’t sit right, It’s worth listening to that instinct and validating it. Great hires are the ones you’d trust with more than just their role, They’re the people who take ownership and see themselves as partners in your growth. The next time you hire, ask yourself: Am I sure about this person? If something doesn’t feel right, Do your soul searching and back it up with research, It will save you both money and heartache. P.S. Follow me, Ilya Spitalnik, for a business spark of awesomeness, 1 post at a time. P.P.S. This post is from our Series, Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Roadblocks, Wins, and the Raw Reality of a 13-Year Business Journey.

Powtoon - Behind the Scenes Series: We do something unusual in our hiring process... We screen for gratitude! Why? Because working with ungrateful people is toxic. The person who expects more but never acknowledges your contribution. It kills morale and teamwork faster than anything else. At Powtoon, gratitude is a business strategy. Our hiring process screens for it: -Do candidates appreciate the people who helped them succeed? -Can they acknowledge the effort and contributions of others? -Do they value collaboration and shared wins? When the going gets tough, It's the grateful people who step up. They support their teams. They lead with empathy. They give back. That’s the culture we want. One where acknowledgment and integrity go hand in hand. Gratitude isn’t just personal, it strongly ties into loyalty. It’s the foundation of strong teams. And it’s how we protect the values we care about. P.S. Follow me at Ilya Spitalnik for a business spark of awesomeness, one post at a time

Powtoon Behind the Scenes: If you want to be trusted and taken seriously, remember this... Every industry has its own “tribal language.” And it's easy to forget that not everyone speaks it. When you're deep in your field, acronyms (abbreviations) become second nature: ROI, KPI, B2B, CRM - the list goes on. The other day, I used the acronym ICP (ideal client profile) in a conversation. The other side had no idea what I meant. For me, as the founder of Powtoon, who lives and breathes marketing and visual storytelling, ICP is my daily bread and butter. But here's what happened when I used the industry jargon: 1. I created distance 2. I limited understanding 3. I created a barrier When I noticed that I wasn't understood, I stopped for a moment, Explained myself in two sentences, And kept going only after I knew we were on the same page. Smart communicators adapt their language: Read the room ↳ Notice when people aren't following. Translate instantly ↳ Switch to universal terms. Explain without judgment ↳ Share knowledge naturally. Remember these key points: - Building bridges is better than flexing expertise - Industry terms are shortcuts, not status symbols - Clear communication beats clever terminology The best professionals can explain complex ideas simply. They switch between different language levels effortlessly. And yes, you can use the “entry-level” terms of the relevant industry, But your lawyer / real estate/marketing peers know when you're faking it. Your expertise isn't measured by the jargon you use. It's shown in how well you help others understand, And in the deep connections you build. P.S. Follow me at Ilya Spitalnik for a business spark of awesomeness, 1 post at a time. P.P.S. This post is from our Series, Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Roadblocks, Wins, and the Raw Reality of a 13-Year Business Journey.

🎬 The workforce is evolving, and so should your training models! Don’t be afraid to embrace interactive, personalized, and collaborative learning strategies. By adapting to today’s needs, you’ll create programs that captivate learners and foster meaningful development. 👉 Here are our top 3 tips to make your training more impactful and relevant: 🎮 Interactive Learning - Make training hands-on and engaging. 🎯 Personalized Content - Tailor learning to each individual’s needs. 👯Collaborative Strategies - Encourage teamwork and shared knowledge Ready to make your training more effective? Check out our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/dkbHynhw

Screen recordings are a lifesaver for remote work. They make it so much easier to break down tricky ideas and keep people interested during presentations. Here are some ways you can use them: 1️⃣ Explaining Complex Concepts: Instead of just talking about an idea, show it in action. 2️⃣ Collaborating with Your Team: Share quick updates, give feedback, or explain your thoughts without scheduling a live meeting. 3️⃣ Tutorials and How-To Guides: These are perfect for showing step-by-step instructions for navigating a platform or completing a task. If you're looking for more ways to use screen recordings, check out the full blog post  👉 https://lnkd.in/ehpvzdbZ

Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Life-Changing Business Insight incoming: WHO, not WHAT! Here's another life lesson I wish I’d learned earlier in my career, so I’m sharing it with you in the hope it helps. Here’s the story: I recently had water damage at my property and reached out to my current insurance agent—a smooth talker I’d started working with about a year ago. Turns out, when he set up my policy, he’d left out water damage coverage entirely. He blamed the previous agent, made excuses, and gave me a laundry list of instructions on WHAT I needed to do—call the insurer, file claims, chase details, etc. Then? He ghosted me. After 15 frustrating calls, I was at my wit’s end. Desperate, I reached out to my former insurance agent, who had nothing to do with this policy. Honestly, I expected him to send me packing. Instead, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” He took full ownership of the problem—something he wasn’t responsible for—and resolved it within days. ➡️ What’s the lesson? It’s never about the WHAT. It’s always about the WHO! As an entrepreneur, team leader, or decision-maker, this mantra should guide everything you do: ➡️ WHO, not WHAT! Find the right WHO. Ask yourself: ✅ Who has the skills, mindset, and ownership attitude to get the job done? ✅ Do I already have this person on my team, or do I need to find them? 💡 When you get the WHO right, the WHAT takes care of itself. 💡 This simple idea has transformed how I lead, and I hope it resonates with you, too. Do you have a story where a WHO made all the difference? Share it in the comments—I’d love to hear it. --- P.S. Follow me at Ilya Spitalnik for a spark of business awesomeness, 1 post at a time. P.P.S. This post is from our Series, Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Roadblocks, Wins, and the Raw Reality of a 13-Year Business Journey.

🚀 3 AI Avatar Techniques to Boost Your Content Game 🚀 Looking to take your content creation to the next level without the high costs or technical expertise? AI avatars are the answer! 🌟 Here are 3 powerful techniques to enhance your content creation with AI avatars. But that’s not all! Dive deeper into the world of AI avatars with our full blog post, where we break down: ✅ How to create your own AI avatar in minutes ✅ The key benefits of using AI avatars in your videos and presentations ✅ Expert tips to make your avatars engaging and relatable ✅ And much more! 👉 Check out the full blog for all the details! https://lnkd.in/dueSCNDc #AI #Avatars #ContentCreation #VideoMarketing #DigitalTransformation #AIAvatars #Branding #MarketingTips

Powtoon Behind the Scenes: You can turn every mistake into a win. I know that sounds impossible when you’re in the middle of it. When everything feels like it’s falling apart, The last thing you see is a silver lining. That’s exactly how I felt on the day I launched my first book. It was supposed to be perfect. -Weeks of planning -Carefully crafted emails -Teaser campaigns, All designed to make this launch unforgettable. I wanted people to see it and think, “Wow, this guy knows what he’s doing.” Finally, we launch, And then, 25 minutes later, I got the email. “Hey, Ilya, there’s a typo in your book’s title.” I froze. My stomach dropped. The title !?!?! The one thing that had to be flawless. And now it was wrong, out there for everyone to see. For a moment, I thought I’d ruined everything. But then I took a deep breath, And instead of letting the mistake define the launch, I decided to own it. I sent an email to everyone on the list: “Here I am, a ‘brilliant author’ who can’t even spell the title of his own book!” It was raw, human, and completely unplanned. And that email? It got the book 10x more downloads than anything we’d anticipated. People didn’t care about the typo. They cared about the honesty. They cared about the humanity. That’s the thing about mistakes: If you show up real and vulnerable, Solving in public, They will turn into your biggest wins, The opposite of a bitter mistake! Next time you’re making a mistake (It’s not a question of “if”, but “when”) Own it. Find the 10% part of it, which is funny. Take responsibility and be transparent. Your future self and audience will thank you. --- P.S. Follow me at Ilya Spitalnik for a business spark of awesomeness, 1 post at a time. P.P.S. This post is from our Series, Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Roadblocks, Wins, and the Raw Reality of a 13-Year Business Journey.

Powtoon Behind the Scenes: When things are going well, you feel unstoppable. Your confidence soars, Opportunities appear everywhere, Success seems inevitable. You're riding high on momentum. Then, suddenly, everything shifts. -Doubts creep in, -Problems stack up, -What worked yesterday doesn't work today. You question every decision, every move. But here's what you have to do in those moments: Continue showing up, especially when it's hard! The most successful people aren't the ones who never face setbacks, They're the ones who keep moving forward despite them. Think about every major success story. Behind each one, there are countless moments where giving up seemed like the easiest choice. But they stayed on the wheel, kept turning, kept pushing. Your success isn't determined by how many good days you have. It's determined by what you do on the bad ones. The wheel never stops turning, and neither should you. Your only job is to stay on it, No matter how dark today is, Keep reminding yourself: You don't know what'll happen tomorrow.... It could turn out to be the best day of your life! --- P.S. Follow me at Ilya Spitalnik for a spark of business awesomeness, 1 post at a time. P.P.S. This post is from our Series, Powtoon Behind the Scenes: Roadblocks, Wins, and the Raw Reality of a 13-Year Business Journey.