“Castell”  (castle in Catalan) is one of the most popular and unique traditions of Catalonia. Declared “Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO this activity is one of the most beautiful elements of local culture and a truly powerful and authentic team building experience.

“Castells”,  also known as “human towers”, were first documented near the city of Tarragona in 1712. However it is within the last 50 years that this tradition has spread across Catalonia – specially in the 1980s with the inclusion of women which lead to constructions of 9 and 10 levels which were never even thought of before. Although they are mainly seen in festivals in Catalonia, this activity is also celebrated in the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands.

Today there are almost one hundred officially registered “Collas” (“Castellers” centers/schools) in the world – mainly in Catalonia but also in places like Hangzhou, China or London in the UK. These centers are very well organized and run, however most remain amateur. 

Human towers are built mainly during national holidays and local celebrations, festivals or even private events. There are also competitions between the different “Collas” – our friends from the lovely town of Vilafranca del Penedes are the most decorated and hold the record of the highest “Castell” – 10 levels of people with four in each level!

Over the years, at Barcelona Ambassadors we have put together workshops, tours and events with “Castellers” and the results have been always incredible. It is a powerful and fun team building activity where everybody understands their importance in a structure. It is also a great element to learn about and enjoy local culture and history. 

During workshops that we organise for our guests, we first explain the historical and cultural aspect of the “Castellers” and then underline and show how we can apply the principals of it into any community or organisation. The experience is a lot of fun, the message of team work and team building gets through and we also learn about a genuine tradition.

The activity is completely safe, involves no risk to any participant and most importantly no part of the workshop is mandatory – each person decides on their own when, how and if they want to get involved. 

Upon arrival to the selected school/center we first tour the facilities by the hand of our in-house guide/professional “Casteller” and learn about the history and present of this unique tradition. A true team of “Castellers” will share their experiences and explain techniques, safety measures, competition insights and much more.

After this introdutcion to the “Castell” world our guide will unveil that we came not only to see and listen but actually to take part in building our own human tower! – We always highly recommend to keep this part as a secret from the participants – the reactions and adrenaline rush is worth it!

Before enaging in various activities we put our belt – “faixa” – the traditional way. Shortly after we engage in some fun games to “warm up” and “break the ice”.

After the games we will receive detailed instructions and start focusing on building our own “Castle” along with typical live music in the background. 

During the workshop we will also get to see the incredible capabilities of “Castellers” and the exercises they perform during training sessions. 

Learning about and participating in the construction of “Castells” is a unique experience that will bring us closer to Catalan culture and traditions. Most importantly it will help us to understand better the importance of team work; communication, leadership and how each element of every construction is vital!

Are you not excited to get to work?

This happens even in the best and most exciting job. No one is immune from demotivation and postponement. 

You want your motivation back? Here are some self-motivation tips:

1. Tell yourself you are starting anew

There are many reasons why we often do not get started with work: stress, boring tasks, annoying meetings or even the fear of failure.  Try to treat your work like a new project: research shows that “new mental periods” can promote new perspectives and improve motivation

2. Smile! 

Even if that sounds weird, just make a big smile! Whether you are feeling happy or not, the body doesn’t really know the difference between a fake or a real smile. Research shows how smiling reduces stress and helps you feel better about the work you need to do.

3. Give yourself a reward before you begin

Try to watch a short comedy video, or eat a slice of cake. Research shows that higher levels of dopamine, can boost self-motivation prior to engaging on a new task.

4. The incredible Hulk

Standing or even sitting, with an open and expansive posture can augment testosterone levels, and thus, decrease cortisol. This will help you to feel more powerful. Try to put your hands on your hips, push up your chest and keep your chin up. 

5. Baby steps

Break down your work into small, achievable and measurable tasks. Commit to completing just one simple thing at a time. Write down your ultimate goal, to remember the big picture and to visualise the benefits of your work. 

6. Talk to others

Studies show that if you ask for input from someone else, and keep them updated on your progress, this can increase your motivation to achieve your tasks.

7. Create a mantra

Research demonstrated that telling yourself out loud that what you are going to do is important and achievable,  can help your motivation! 

8. Dream

Day dream with your eyes closed for 10 minutes about your success on your work (or task). 

9. Looking Back at the Day

When we look at tomorrow’s to-do list, we often forget what we’ve done in the course of a day’s work. However, the (small) sense of achievement of today gives you momentum for tomorrow. Take some time at the end of the workday to reflect on what you’ve done. Of course, celebrate the achievements, even if small!

Days without motivation at  work are completely normal. Try these few tips, and tell us how did it go!

Barcelona’s Sant Joan de Deus was the first Hospital in Spain to open a unit with canine assistance to give emotional support to children and their families. 

In 2012 the Hospital successfully implemented and integrated dog therapy and assistance for medical visits (makes the experience more pleasant and shorter), emergency room (to calm down and distract patients – specially children) as well as psychology and dentistry among others.
The assistance with this specially trained dogs not only has a positive effect on kids – 95% of parents have stated that they feel more relief and less stressed when they see their children interacting with a dog in these situations. 

However Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) have been in use in countries like the United States for quiet some time now – specially with children and the elderly. Horses and cats can also make excellent therapy animals but the unique bond canines and humans share makes them the most common choice. 

The positive effect dogs have on kids and most people overall is a fact. With the right dog around us we tend to feel happier, safer and more relaxed – even if it is for a moment, often stress seems to go away.

New studies go as far as suggesting that when dogs are around, groups are more cooperative and more trusting.

Central Michigan University (CMU) researchers concluded that having a companion dog during group meetings could improve employee emotions and enhance communication. 

“Dogs are a social lubricant – when work teams are first formed, it often takes a while for people to get comfortable with each other, but having a dog in the room seems to put people more to ease” says psychology professor Stephen Colarelli from CMU.

Companion dogs can certainly influence positive prosocial behaviours. Groups show more verbal and physical closeness signs while in presence of these animals as well as increased helpful behaviour, energy, enthusiasm and attentiveness. 

At Barcelona Ambassadors we firmly believe in the positive effect of companion dogs in group dynamics. We are animal lovers and we’ve experienced how – specially dogs – can play a big role in overcoming obstacles and improving actions that benefit us.    

Most of our guests contact us to organise team building activities which can assure afterwards increased performance. 

Unfortunately there is no one solution that fits everybody – however we identified 7 key basics that will ensure your team building experience will provide increased motivation and collaboration. 

Deep learning. Engage with participants on an emotional level, let them not just think what they should do, but rather how they should feel. Design your activities focusing on deep learning, in which people examine new facts and ideas critically, tie them into existing cognitive structures and make numerous links between ideas. On surface learning people accept new facts and ideas uncritically and attempt to store them as isolated, unconnected items.

Stop working. Funny enough in the perfect team building event, people must feel that they left their work in the office. It shouldn’t be another excuse to get people together to somehow address office issues in another setting. Don´t be afraid to plan your team building experience during week days, nobody wants to work on the weekends, even if that work includes play. Team building events should foster community feelings!

Leave the usual settings. A simple way to boost motivation and increase energy is to get your team away from the usual settings they are used to. However consider everyone in planning the location. Don’t book a sailing challenge if somebody can’t swim or plan it when half of them are on vacation. Choose a time and activity (or a range of different activities) that’s right for everyone.

Invite family. Inviting family members to a team building activity may be a simple way to make everyone feel more relaxed, have more fun, and get more connected. 

Mix it up. Challenge the team by mixing them between people they don’t know. Let them interact and leave their usual comfort zone.

Simulate it. Come up with dynamics, games, insights or rewards that people can easily relate to real life examples. 

Follow through. Close the team building event with a feedback session. Make each person identify actions that will be implemented at work, even better if they commit to follow up on these among themselves.

At Barcelona Ambassadors we strive to address our guests needs in tailor made fashion. It is deep in our mind and heart to make your experience with us, unique and unforgettable. 

Abraham Maslow was an academic working in the field of Psychology and became well known for his work on the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1943. This theory still remains valid today for understanding and utilizing human motivation in various contexts.

Maslow’s pyramid of hierarchical needs consisted of 5 levels:

Levels 1 to 4 are deficiency motivators; level 5, a growth motivator (and rare to find). Preventing someone to accomplish those needs usually causes detrimental stress. Most of employees in organizations should at least reach level 2.

Further on, Maslow realized that the self only finds its actualization in giving itself a higher goal outside oneself (altruism) — this led to the revisions of his initial model, resulting in the following 8-stage hierarchy:

At the 8th level, self-transcendence consists in going beyond oneself and helping others to achieve self-actualization. 

How does this translate in practical terms for an organization? 

You can’t motivate someone to achieve their targets (level 4) when they’re having problems with their relationships (level 3): Team building events or Incentive travels can help in addressing those issues.

You can’t expect someone to work as a team member (level 3) when they’re having their health challenged (level 2) health and good living initiatives at work can help address this.

As you can see, solutions are simple; it just takes some motivation to make the first step! 

Let’s give it a try?

How motivated are you at work?

And, at which level of Maslow’s pyramid are you?

Have you ever found yourself in a team in which you felt a total stranger?

Or in a team where you felt unheard?

Maybe a team in which shortcomings where more than the actual achievements?

Many of us out there shared at some point these feelings and often the answer lies on how that team was built and put together.

The most influential theory in this field is the one developed by Bruce Tuckman which may be slightly outdated but still very relevant to most of today’s organizations.

Tuckman’s model is significant because it emphasizes the fact that groups do not start off fully-formed and functioning. He suggests that teams grow through clearly defined stages, from their creation as groups of individuals, to task-focused teams.

Tuckman’s Teamwork Theory

Tuckman argued that there are two features in common to groups, a) the interpersonal or group structure and, b) the task. From this he identified that groups evolve into teams via four common stages. The first stage is during which individuals are still busy finding their place and wondering why they are there. Followed by a storming stage in which people begin to see them as a part of a team and they start challenging each other. In this stage conflict may arise and this may lead to a decrease in performance. However, the storming stage often leads to a more socially cohesive phase, the norming stage, in which people start to come together, establish ground rules and clarify roles. Ultimately the final stage is where people increase their performance by working effectively together.

Tuckman’s teamwork theory is best illustrated on the graph below which shows the link between group relationships (the horizontal axis) and task focus (the vertical axis).

In our experience, not all teams evolve chronologically through Tuckman’s stages but may go back and forth until they either begin to perform or are dismantled. Regardless of these limitations, at Barcelona Ambassadors we apply those models which can be useful in helping you to understand and better manage your teams.