John Christensen, a filmmaker with ChartHouse Learning and the creator of the FISH! Philosophy, was in Seattle working on another project when he wandered through Pike Place Market. He heard a commotion and noticed a crowd gathered three or four people deep around a fish stand. Salmon were flying over the counter, fishmongers were calling out, and visitors were laughing.

Christensen watched for a while, trying to understand what he was seeing. Then he asked a fishmonger named Shawn what was going on. Shawn asked whether John had eaten lunch and whether the waiter had connected with him or simply taken his money. Then he looked at John and said, “This is our moment. How may I serve you?” The question changed what Christensen saw. The fishmongers were not only putting on a lively show; they were giving their full attention to the people in front of them.

Christensen spoke with owner Johnny Yokoyama and learned that the crew had once made a shared decision to become “world famous.” They chose to enjoy their work, connect with customers, and create a different kind of fish market. Christensen returned with a film crew, and that visit became the FISH! film.

The idea traveled well beyond Seattle. As The Seattle Times reported, “It was at a weekly staff meeting that one of Pike Place Fish Co.’s fish throwers first suggested, ‘Let’s become world famous.’” The article also described how companies began using the film to discuss motivation, teamwork, and the experience people create at work. That same question still gives the film its pull: What could your team change about the way people experience your workplace?

What does Pike Place Fish Market have to do with FISH!?

Pike Place Fish Market is an open-air fish stand inside Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Visitors see fishmongers working with fish, ice, and customers for long hours in demanding conditions. They also see a team that brings energy, humor, creativity, and care to the job.

The market’s transformation was deliberate. The fishmongers had chosen to enjoy their work, connect with people, and make a difference to the people who came into contact with them. From those choices came a simple language teams could use in many kinds of workplaces. The four practices grew out of the way the fishmongers worked: staying present, choosing a helpful attitude, creating good moments for other people, and bringing playfulness and creativity to serious work.

The film has been translated into 20 languages and used across 32 countries. More than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 have used FISH!, showing how far the ideas have traveled from one Seattle fish market. The market is an example, though, rather than a script to copy. A hospital, school, office, or government department may have a very different way to bring the practices to life.

How does the film show the four FISH! practices?

Choose Your Attitude

The film shows that people do not control every event, but they can choose how they respond. A difficult morning, a tired customer, or a stressful task may still happen. Choose Your Attitude gives people a way to pause and decide how they want to show up. It asks each person to take responsibility for the energy and behavior they bring into the moment.

Be There

Be There means giving another person your full attention. At the market, that may mean looking at a customer, listening carefully, or setting distractions aside. In another workplace, it may mean putting down the phone, closing the laptop, or slowing down long enough to hear a co-worker’s concern. When people feel seen and heard, trust and teamwork have room to grow.

Make Their Day

The fishmongers look for ways to leave people feeling better than they did before the interaction. Make Their Day can be a big gesture, but it often starts with something small: a warm welcome, a thoughtful question, useful help, or a moment of respect. Because Be There helps you notice what people need, it becomes easier to find a way to make a customer’s, patient’s, student’s, or co-worker’s day better.

Play

Play brings energy, imagination, and creativity to the work. The right kind of play helps people try new ideas and makes routine tasks more engaging. It should fit the setting and include the people around you. What works at Pike Place Fish Market may not work in your workplace, so each team has to discover its own playful, respectful approach.

How can different industries use the FISH! film?

Education

Schools can use the FISH! training video to open conversations about how teachers, office staff, leaders, and students experience the school day. Be There can shape the way adults listen to students and families. Make Their Day can inspire small acts of welcome and encouragement. Play can support creativity in the classroom and help staff bring fresh energy to routines, while Choose Your Attitude can help people think about how they respond during stressful days.

Healthcare and hospitality

Healthcare and hospitality depend on human interactions. A patient, guest, or family member may remember how a person made them feel as much as they remember the service itself. Teams can use the film to talk about being fully present, noticing needs, and creating a more caring experience.

Augusta University’s Jagwire described a medical-center FISH! training led by specialist Kimberly Hayes. Her advice was direct: “Be alert, be active. Don’t just come in and tune out.” She also encouraged staff to do something kind for a patient, student, or co-worker. Those examples show how the practices can support skilled care and service in a real workplace.

Business

Businesses can use the FISH! customer service video to start a practical discussion about teamwork, morale, customer relationships, and creativity. The film gives teams a shared language for talking about how they work together. Leaders can ask, “What would Be There look like here?” or “How could we Make Their Day in a way that fits our customers?” Those questions turn a memorable film into workplace actions.

A viewer who saw the film at work described that effect this way: “I saw the Fish video at work a few months ago, and I loved it. You have to be able to have fun during work, it makes me work harder. I’m so glad my supervisor thinks that way, makes the working day a good day :-))” The comment captures why the film often starts conversations about energy, effort, and the connection between enjoyment and performance.

Government

Government teams often serve people through complex systems, long processes, and high public expectations. The FISH! film can help employees discuss how presence, attitude, service, and creativity affect those interactions. Be There may mean listening without rushing. Make Their Day may mean explaining the next step clearly. Play may mean finding a better way to solve a problem, while Choose Your Attitude can help a team respond constructively when the work is difficult.

How do I use the FISH! film to train my team?

The film works best as the anchor for a facilitated session. Invite the group to watch it with a question in mind: What does this have to do with our work? After the viewing, ask what scenes, people, or moments stood out. This gives the team space to form its own conclusions and connect the story to its own experience.

From there, connect the conversation to the four practices. Ask where the team already sees Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude. Then ask what each practice could look like in your setting. A customer service team might focus on a better welcome. A healthcare team might focus on presence during a difficult conversation. A school might focus on making students and families feel noticed.

The FISH! training programs include the guides and workbooks that support this process. FISH! Essentials and FISH! Complete provide the full film along with digital learning materials. The guides help a facilitator introduce FISH! as an invitation, lead discussion after the film, and move from ideas to practice. Workbooks give participants space to reflect, talk with one another, and choose an action to try.

A short session can include an introduction, the film, a group discussion, an activity, and a commitment for the week. Longer sessions can spend more time on each practice and use conversation starters, scorecards, and practice activities from the guides. The aim is to help people try the practices, talk about what they notice, and keep improving together.

What is in the free FISH! film preview?

The free preview runs 11 minutes and introduces the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market and the people who work there. You will see a busy open-air market where customers gather around the fish stand, fishmongers work together, and the atmosphere is full of movement, humor, and personal connection.

You will also hear the central idea of FISH!: the fishmongers choose how they show up at work. Selling fish can be cold, wet, tiring work, but the team has created a place where people enjoy what they do and help customers enjoy being there, too. The preview gives a feel for the full FISH! training video while leaving room for the longer film and the team discussion that follows it.

As you watch, notice the way the team pays attention to people, supports one another, and makes ordinary moments memorable. Those details point to Choose Your Attitude, Be There, Make Their Day, and Play. The preview is a useful starting point whether you are remembering the film or seeing the Pike Place Fish Market video for the first time.

Where can I watch the FULL FISH! Philosophy video?

The full FISH! film runs a little over 18 minutes and is included with every FISH! training program. Teams can access it by subscribing to the FISH! Essentials or FISH! Complete package. The upgraded FISH! trial also gives a team 30 days with the film and its digital guides.

Many people search for a free download because they saw the film years ago and want to show it to a team again. There is no free download of the full film. The options above give your group a way to watch it together and continue with the guides, workbook activities, and conversation that make the viewing useful.

How long is the FISH! film?

The complete film runs a little over 18 minutes. The preview on this page is 11 minutes, so you can get a quick sense of the story and the four practices before deciding how to introduce the film to your team.

Is the FISH! film available in other languages?

Yes. The FISH! film has been translated into 20 languages and used across 32 countries, so teams in many regions can explore the same ideas.

Can I download the FISH! Philosophy video for free?

The full film is not available as a free download. You can watch the 11-minute preview on this page, or access the complete film through FISH! Essentials, FISH! Complete, or the upgraded trial. The trial includes 30 days with the film and digital guides.

What does the FISH! film have to do with my workplace?

The fish market shows one team’s way of bringing the practices to life. Your team can choose its own ways to Be There, Make Their Day, Play, and Choose Your Attitude so they fit your customers, co-workers, responsibilities, and setting.

What should my team do after watching the film?

Talk about what stood out, connect the four practices to your daily work, and choose one small action to try. Then come back to the conversation and notice what changed. FISH! becomes useful through practice and shared reflection.

The FISH! film begins with a fish market, but its invitation is much wider: choose how you show up, pay attention to people, create better moments, and bring useful energy to the work. Start with one conversation and one small action your team can try this week. From there, keep practicing and see what becomes possible.

Try the FISH! Philosophy upgraded trial with your team. You’ll have 30 days of access to the FISH! film and digital guides so you can watch it together, discuss what it means in your workplace, and begin putting the practices to work.

The post Watch The FISH! Philosophy Video: The Pike Place Fish Market Story appeared first on FISH! Philosophy Training.

Fun matters because work takes up a large part of our lives. It also helps people build relationships, think in new ways, and feel that they have some say in how their day goes. The FISH! Philosophy offers four connected practices: Be There, Play, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude. Together, they show managers how to have fun in the workplace while still taking the work seriously.

Fun cannot be forced. It grows when people feel respected, included, trusted, and able to bring some of their real selves to work. That foundation matters more than ordering everyone to smile or scheduling a silly activity every Friday.

Be There: Build the relationships that make fun possible

Fun at work starts with relationships. In a Bright HR survey of more than 2,000 employees, one of the most common descriptions of workplace fun was having great colleagues people enjoyed spending time with. That makes sense: a game or outing feels different when people trust one another and feel welcome.

To Be There means giving the person in front of you your attention. Listen to a coworker’s idea instead of preparing your reply. Ask a follow-up question. Notice when someone has had a difficult week. Celebrate a win when it happens. These small actions build trust. They help people relax, share ideas, and be themselves.

Managers can make this easier with regular one-on-one check-ins and technology-free time during selected meetings. A meeting without open laptops or phones can give people room to notice one another and join the conversation. It does not fit every situation, so use it when focused discussion matters. Informal conversations can also help creativity. People often explore ideas more freely when they are not reading from an agenda.

Be There also means making room for different personalities. Some people enjoy a lively group game, while others connect better through a conversation, a shared project, or a walk at lunch. A fun office does not require every person to act the same way.

Play: Make room for creativity and new ideas

In FISH!, Play brings curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to try something new to the workday. It helps people challenge old assumptions, learn, and find creative answers to real problems. A playful team may still be focused and productive.

That can look like a traditional activity. Try an office field day, a trip to an old-school arcade, or a guess-the-jar game with candy at the front desk. An office scavenger hunt can help new employees learn the building and meet coworkers from other departments. A short team challenge can add energy to a training session or help a group practice communication. Play can also be built into the work itself. Ask a team to brainstorm ten ways to improve a routine before judging any of the ideas. Let employees lead a skill-sharing session. Invite them to redesign a process, test a new approach, or create a team name for a project. When people can experiment within clear goals and boundaries, work becomes more engaging because they have a chance to shape the result.

Trust is essential here. An auto dealership owner once saw two technicians tossing a football near the service area during a break. At first, he was unsure about it. Later, he heard one technician say that playing catch so close to the cars did not feel right. The employees understood the business and adjusted their own behavior. Leaders can create the same kind of trust by explaining the playing field and letting employees take ownership of what is appropriate. A football near equipment would not fit every workplace, but the larger lesson does.

A fun committee can keep ideas moving, but it should not become the only group responsible for office spirit. Invite people to suggest activities, rotate leadership, and ask what would actually help the team. If an activity creates pressure or excludes people, change it.

Making room for ten ideas before choosing one turns a routine meeting into a playful, interactive brainstorm.

Make Their Day: Use small, genuine gestures

Making someone’s day means looking for a useful or meaningful way to brighten another person’s experience. In the FISH! story, the fishmongers engage customers and create memories instead of standing apart from them. In an office, the same practice might mean recognizing a contribution, helping a teammate solve a problem, or making a routine moment feel personal.

Simple gestures still work when they are genuine. Put out a candy bowl at the front desk. Bring in Monday bagels. Plan a holiday outing that gives people a real chance to connect. Thank someone for the work that is easy to overlook, such as helping a new hire, answering a customer question, or staying with a project when it became difficult. A recognition note from a manager or teammate can mean more than a general announcement because it shows that someone noticed.

These gestures cannot cover up deeper problems. A pizza lunch does not replace fair treatment, manageable workloads, good benefits, or a manager who listens. But when a team is working to get those fundamentals right, a thoughtful surprise can add warmth and help people feel valued.

Give people choices when you plan an activity. Offer more than one way to take part in a holiday event, and avoid treating attendance as a test of loyalty. Ask employees what would make a busy week easier or more enjoyable. Then follow through on some of what you hear. Attention and follow-through often matter more than a large budget.

Choose Your Attitude: Set the tone without pretending

Every day brings circumstances we cannot control, but we can choose how we show up in them. Choose Your Attitude asks us to notice our response and decide what kind of presence we want to bring to the team. A difficult situation still deserves care and support; a positive attitude is not a demand to ignore stress.

Leaders set the tone first. If a manager treats every activity as pointless, employees will sense that. When the manager joins in, listens to concerns, and stays open to lightheartedness, others may feel safer trying it too. A manager who greets each person by name can start the day with connection. The attitude behind that action matters more than the ritual.

Leaders and teammates shape the office through their daily choices. A person who brings patience to a tense conversation can change its direction. Someone who welcomes a new idea can give the whole group more energy. Choose Your Attitude starts with each person, then spreads through the team.

How to Make Corporate Training Fun

Start with a real purpose, explain how the session connects to the team’s work, and create an experience instead of reading slides at people. Use a short FISH! film clip, small-group questions, a creative challenge, or a walk-around activity. Change the room, add color, play music as people arrive, or use a simple object that gives participants something to discuss. Then let them connect the lesson to their own experiences.

Training becomes more useful when participants have a voice. Ask, “What would Be There look like with our customers?” or “What could we change in this process if we gave ourselves more room to Play?” End with one action each person wants to try. Managers should support that action after the session, because a lively training event means little if the workplace sends people back to old habits.

FISH! Philosophy activities a manager can try

Use this list as a starting point, then ask the team which ideas fit its culture, schedule, and work:

• Hold an office field day with options for different abilities and interests.
• Take the team to an old-school arcade or offer a low-cost game-based outing.
• Set up a guess-the-jar game with candy and let people add their guesses during breaks.
• Keep a candy bowl available as a small welcome or conversation starter.
• Plan a holiday outing with more than one way to participate.
• Bring in Monday bagels and use the first few minutes for real connection.
• Organize an office scavenger hunt that introduces people to coworkers, resources, or company history.
• Create a rotating fun committee that gathers ideas and checks whether activities feel inclusive.
• Try a technology-free meeting when the purpose calls for focused conversation.
• Run a creative brainstorm where ideas are collected before they are evaluated.
• Start a peer-recognition board or a weekly thank-you round.
• Add a short skill-sharing session to a team meeting.
• Give employees a choice of activities during training instead of requiring one kind of participation.

The four practices work together. Be There helps people feel safe enough to join in. Play gives them room to explore. Make Their Day turns attention outward, toward coworkers and customers. Choose Your Attitude helps each person decide how to contribute. A joke that leaves someone out misses the spirit of Be There. An activity that creates stress or ignores the work misses the spirit of Make Their Day. Used together, the practices keep corporate office fun respectful, useful, and human.

Ideas to Reflect On

• What’s the most fun you’ve ever had at work? Was it a work task, or an activity that was a break from your normal duties?
• Have you ever felt yourself not having fun at a work activity when you felt you should? What could have been done to further engage you?
• Do you have relationships with your team? Do you think you could have fun with them outside of a corporate setting? If so, how can you bring that feeling into the office as well?
• When your workplace tried to create fun, what made the experience feel genuine rather than forced?
• Do employees in repetitive roles have a voice in what makes their work more enjoyable? What could you ask them this week?

Bring more fun into the office one practice at a time

A fun corporate office grows through daily habits: people pay attention to one another, use creativity, notice good work, and take responsibility for the attitude they bring. A ping-pong table or a calendar full of parties may have a place, but neither one creates connection by itself. Start with one conversation, one small gesture, or one activity your team chooses together. From there, let the four FISH! practices become part of how work gets done.

Ready to put these ideas into practice? Try the FISH! Philosophy upgraded trial, which gives your team 30 days of access to the FISH! film and its digital guides. Use the materials to start a conversation, make training more engaging, and find practical ways to bring more fun into your office.

The post FISH! Philosophy Activities: How to Bring More Fun into Your Corporate Office appeared first on FISH! Philosophy Training.