Etiquette, according to Oprah (and company)

If for no other reason than her amazingly consistent brand message across media, you must bow down to Queen Oprah. I finally caught up with my magazine reading yesterday and was delighted anew at what a wonderful job she does with O, the Oprah magazine—especially when you consider how little she probably has to do with the day-to-day (or even month-to-month) running of things.

But it stands to reason: two of Oprah Winfrey's strengths are (a) having a strong point of view and (b) finding the right people who either share it personally or know it well enough to spread the word. There's greatness in many voices, and she's brilliant at tapping into that wisdom of the many.

For example, this month's issue has an article on etiquette, with a host of 'expert'  contributors—from Tim Gunn to Nora Ephron—weighing in on various sticky situations. The multiplicity of voices makes it both a fun and useful read: if I don't like Nora's advice, I may like how she gives it, and there's someone else to offer up what may be less pithy but more pertinent-to-me advice. (Abbreviated version of the article online, here.)

It reminded me of an article on business etiquette that Ilise contributed to a month or so ago (here, at The Creative Group). It, too, is chock full of great tips on how to deal with sticky situations, and if one person's advice doesn't float your boat, there's always another way to go.

Although personally, I can't imagine Ilise giving advice that's anything but perfect :-)