Making Waves in Residence Life:
The FISH! Philosophy Going to Work in Student Affairs
Proposal by:
Christina A. Pascucci
COMM 560 – Communication Issues for Leaders
December 6, 2011

My Brown Paper Bag – Write a way each person has brought the FISH Philosophy to class or how each person in class has talked about a way they used the FISH
Philosophy within their own organization.

 Problem – Who Are You?
 Importance of Teambuilding
 Benefits of Team Connection
 Using FISH! Philosophy in Residence Life
 3-Part Process – Summer Training
 Elements of Proposal
 Interviews

 Lack of Connection
 Being a Resident Advisor
 Importance of Teambuilding
“The proper functioning and successful development of any company or organization largely depends on teamwork efficiency. Good team relationships can make it into a productive group with great morale and motivation. Therefore, team building activities are aimed at improving communication and collaboration skills within and between groups of people working together. As team building has to do with cooperation, bridge building, planning, and effective use of resources, the benefits team building activities may bring are countless: improvement in planning skills, problem solving, decision making, time management, friendly competition, personal confidence, morale, etc.”

Goals & Objectives:
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1. For every member of the Residence Life team to know one another by the end of Teambuilding Day/Retreat and to have had a conversation with every other member by the end of training. This will be demonstrated by being able to complete the My Brown Paper Bag activity at the closing of Summer
Training.
2. To improve team communication, collaboration, cooperation, and problem-solving.
3. To effectively apply the FISH Philosophy throughout
Teambuilding Day/Retreat, Summer Training, and learn how to apply it throughout the year as well.
4. To evaluate the efforts of teaching and applying the FISH
Philosophy.

Staff:
 Participants - all members of the Residence Life team including all Resident Advisors, House Managers, Residence
Directors, House Directors, and Area Directors.
 Director and Associate Dean are invited to come if available to attend.
 The total amount of staff is approximately 120 people.

Methods:
 Proposed - FISH Philosophy utilized in 3-part process
 During Summer Residence Life Training – August
 Part 1: Training Opening Session – 1 st Night of
Training
 Part 2: Teambuilding Day – 1 st Full Day of Training
 Part 3: Debriefing & Evaluation Session – Same Day
After Dinner

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Welcome
Icebreaker Activity:
People to People (Anatomy Clumps)
Have the large group stand in a circle. Have a leader call out a body part and a number. (ie. 5 elbows) Everyone has to immediately get into groups of five with their five elbows sticking together in the center. Keep doing this with different body parts and numbers. Each time a group gets together, they should be introducing themselves.
The last one should be a ridiculous number with a ridiculous body part (ie. eyelashes). Most will not do it and they will probably sit back down and the game can just end on a funny note.
Review of Training Schedule
Presentation of FISH Philosophy
Discussion of How to Apply FISH Philosophy Within Training &
Teambuilding Day
Explain FISH Philosophy Recognition Activity: My Brown Paper

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Show video and go over the four principles.
What is The FISH! Philosophy? 4 simple, interconnected practices:
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1. Be There is being emotionally present for people. It’s a powerful message of respect that improves communication and strengthens relationships.
2. Play taps into your natural way of being creative, enthusiastic and having fun. Play is the spirit that drives the curious mind, as in “Let’s play with that idea!” It’s a mindset you can bring to everything you do.
3. Make Their Day is finding simple ways to serve or delight people in a meaningful, memorable way. It’s about contributing to someone else’s life, not because you want something out of it, but because that’s the person you want to be.
4. Choose Your Attitude means taking responsibility for how you respond to what life throws at you. Once you are aware that your choice impacts everyone around you, you can ask yourself, “Is my attitude helping my team or my customers? Is it helping me to be the person I want to be?”
Through The FISH! Philosophy, we build stronger relationships with the team members we work with, the customers we serve, the students we teach and the people we love.

 1. Be There! – How will you Be There?
 2. Play! - In what ways can you Play?
 3. Make Their Day! – Who’s day will you make?
 4. Choose Your Attitude! – How do you choose your attitude when tired? When having a bad day?

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Index cards, post-its, or pieces of paper
Get to know every member of the team
How did you FISH?
Brown paper bag for each person (decorated to their own personal liking at the beginning of training)
Bags stay within the main large meeting room for training week
At the end of training
Goal/Objective & Recognition
Memento/Reminder
 Class Activity!!

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Morning Energizer at Ropes Course Site – run by site personnel
Reminder of FISH Philosophy Principles and Application for
Teambuilding Day
Teambuilding Activities at Ropes Course – run by site personnel
Lunch in Between Activities
Travel Back to Campus & Dinner

Part 3: Debriefing & Evaluation Session – Same Day After Dinner
 Facilitate Discussion About Day and How FISH Was Applied
 Give Staff Opportunities to Share How Team Exhibited FISH:
Prompt Questions:
1. How did you or someone else demonstrate the FISH Philosophy principle
“Be There”?
2. How did you or someone else demonstrate the FISH Philosophy principle
“Play”?
3. How did you or someone else demonstrate the FISH Philosophy principle
“Make Their Day”?
4. How did you or someone else demonstrate the FISH Philosophy principle
“Choose Your Attitude”?

Part 3: Debriefing & Evaluation Session – Same Day After Dinner
 Facilitate Discussion About How FISH Can Be Applied Throughout Year
Prompt Questions:
1. How can we apply the FISH Philosophy principle “Be There” throughout the year?
2. How can we apply the FISH Philosophy principle “Play” throughout the year?
3. How can we apply the FISH Philosophy principle “Make Their Day” throughout the year?
4. How can we apply the FISH Philosophy principle “Choose Your Attitude” throughout the year?
 How FISH Has Been Previously Applied Without Knowing
1. Returning staff: What are some ways you have applied FISH in the past without even knowing about the Philosophy?
 Evaluation of Three-Part FISH Session (See Evaluation Plan section)

 Rider University spaces - Cavalla Room
 Training Opening Session and Debriefing &
Evaluation Session
 Dinner will be held in the Daly’s Dining Hall
 Technology needs: projector, screen, and laptop
 Tables and chairs for sessions

 Proposed Budget (Estimate):

 All staff members
- evaluation
(survey)
 Data collected during debriefing session

Interview with Misty Denham-Barrett
Residence Director of Hill Hall
Organizational Leadership Graduate
Student
Rider University
Interview with JJ Duke
2 nd Year Resident Advisor in
Ziegler/New Residence Halls Junior
Communications Studies Student
Rider University
Interview Questions:
What do you think of the teambuilding that happens at Summer RA Training?
Would you change anything about it? If so, what?
How do you feel about your individual building’s
RA Staff as far as it being a well-built and maintained team? How about the RA staff as a whole? How do you think the two separate teams are the way they are?
Are you familiar with the FISH Philosophy? If, not, let me tell you about it. Now that you know a little about the FISH Philosophy, do you think we use it already?
How do you think we can use it more?

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Blimling, G. (1999). The resident assistant: Applications and strategies for working with college students in residence halls (5 th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company.
Charthouse Learning (2011). Welcome to the official home of the Fish! Philosophy.
Retrieved from http://www. charthouse.com/content.aspx?nodeid=22610.
Lundin, S. C., Paul, H, & Christensen, J. (2000). Fish!: A remarkable way to boost morale and improve results. New York, NY: Hyperion.
Salt & Light Retreat Resource Manual. Retrieved from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/prs/ campus-inistry/saltandlight/Retreat%20Resource%20Manual/Fun%20Large%20
Group%20Ice%20Breakers.html.
Team Holiday (2006). Team building: Why is it so important? Retrieved from http://www.teamholiday.co.uk/articles/team-building-why-is-it-so-important-84.html.

Take a leap and please consider
Making Waves in Residence Life:
The FISH! Philosophy Going to Work in Student Affairs