I had arrived in Barcelona for a conference. As I settled into my hotel room, I stepped onto the balcony to check out the view. The door slammed behind me. It was locked. I WAS TRAPPED ON MY HOTEL BALCONY. I was due to speak at the conference in 15 minutes. I was yelling and waving to the passers-by below me for help. But I don’t speak any Spanish, so they all kept looking up at me like I was nuts. Finally a bellhop saw me and came to my rescue. I rushed to the conference and took my place before anyone noticed I was late. I told the story as the opening to my speech. I was a hit.

-- Klaus H., Munich