Sorry, folks, but I’ll be out of touch for a few days and won’t have regular internet access this week. In the meantime, here’s a little something for you to ponder. Study it well, there could be a quiz…

It’s a story that’s been bouncing around the internet for the last few days (Google had about 800 hits today); perhaps you’ve seen it?

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant’s foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mbembe was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teen aged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn’t help wondering if this was the same elephant.

Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mbembe’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn’t the same elephant.

Now, before you get your skirts all in a tither, Snopes.com assures me this is a hoax. In fact, it’s actually a slightly brushed-up version of a previous hoax story that made the rounds a few years ago.

So why does a story like this get passed along so easily? Well, because it’s a great example of a sticky story! It illustrates many of the six principles in Made to Stick, don’t you think?

Take a look at the elements of sticky stories and you’ll see what I mean.

1. Simplicity – A simple concept that’s based on a well-known children’s tale, Androcles and the Lion. Most people are probably familiar with that story (or one similar from their own culture), and the plot is easy to grasp: man helps animal; animal helps man. (At least he did in the original. In this version – not so much.)
2. Unexpected – The ending is certainly unexpected when you’re already familiar and expecting the one from the children’s tale!
3. Concrete – Notice the details: 1986, Kenya, Northwestern University – all real places and dates.
4. Credibilty – What gives this story credibilty is the logical way it hangs together. You just “know” it could have happened this way.
5. Emotions – An integral part of the story is the “bond” formed between the elephant and Mkele.
6. Stories – Need I say more?

Put all those elements together and you’ve got a story people will believe no matter what facts you throw at them. Now that’s the power of stickiness!

Do YOU know any sticky stories? Care to share them?