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THOUGHTS FROM THE SIDELINE

What Toastmasters Taught Me About Getting Stuck in an Elevator

Eldred Brown, DTM, IPDD

Where were you at 11:00 pm on Saturday, July
23, 2022? I was stuck inside an elevator in a
hotel in Baltimore with no way to get out. It

certainly wasn’t the worst situation I’ve been in,
but it had the potential to get ugly over time.
Thinking back to that harrowing experience,
what are some of the lessons I learned that

night, and how do they apply to Toastmasters?

Lesson 1: Don’t Panic.
I suppose I could have panicked if I wanted

to. I probably would have if I suffered from
claustrophobia. Expending all my energy
breaking down the door with my bare hands?
No, that wouldn’t get me anywhere, except

maybe to the hospital with broken and bloody
hands. I needed to stay calm and consider all
my options. Cut through the ceiling and climb
up to another floor like Tom Cruise in Mission

Impossible? Pry the doors open with my bare
hands? I couldn’t see any of those escape plans
working. I did find an alarm bell I could ring.
Annoy enough people with my noisemaking,

and eventually they’ll get me out. quickly figure your way out of the pickle. If not,
How does this apply to Toastmasters? you can use the pickle as a learning experience.
When you get into a tight situation with your
speech—you blank out on what you’re going Lesson 2: Be Patient

to say next, you say something inappropriate, Even as I rang the elevator alarm to catch
etc.—don’t panic. If you have the experience of the attention of those outside, I knew I was
already having given a lot of speeches, you’ll going to be stuck in there for a while. I had to

18 ONE COMMUNITY