The Escape Room

The man closed the door on us. The room was dimly lit. It will take a few minutes for our eyes to adjust.

Over the speaker we hear a voice say that the submarine we're in has lost power. We're trapped. We have 60 minutes to decipher the clues and get the submarine off the bottom of the ocean floor before we run out of oxygen... and die.

Scary stuff.

Well, it would be scary if we weren't a simulated submarine inside a store in Old Town Scottsdale. The ocean is the last thing I worry about drowning in here.

The stranded submarine was the story of our Saturday night. A couple of friends got us all tickets to play our part in an escape room.

When the door closed we immediately started hunting for clues. Everyone found things they thought might be helpful.

Each person started shouting about what they found. What the clue looked like. How each clue worked to open a box, a door, or another clue.

We worked well together.

Everyone asked a lot of questions. We had to. It was the only way to figure out what was going on. It was how we figured out a piece I was using actually controlled something across the room that someone else was operating.

There was a lot of trust and support to get everything working.

We were inside a while. All of a sudden it seemed we were hitting dead ends. And then the final pieces fell into place.

We escaped. It only took us 49 minutes. It felt like the time went by quickly and it felt longer.

It was a blast.

As we were standing in the lobby area another group came out of their sub. They didn't make it. And watching them I realized why.

Communication.

We didn't blame anyone for mistakes. Everyone was encouraged to try something. Share what worked and what didn't.

Communication is the key to success.

Communication is the ability to persuade. The ability to understand another's point of view. The ability share an idea. The ability to ask the right questions. And, the ability to make your world a better place.