As you interact with audience members, watch closely for evasive or hesitant responses to your questions. And be equally watchful for negative misconceptions, rumors, exaggerations, inaccuracies or untruths.

These data are grist for your mill, i.e., information you need to establish a public relations goal that corrects offending opinion/perception. Such a goal might look like these: spike that rumor, clarify that misconception, or correct that inaccuracy.

Now, you need a pathway leading to your public relations goal, and that means you must pick a strategy showing you how to get there. Luckily, there are just three strategies in matters of opinion and perception: create perception where there isn’t any, change existing perception, or reinforce it. Just be certain that strategy you select is a logical fit with public relations goal you just established.

Now, what you say to members of your target audience must clearly address offending perception gently but firmly. Your message must be believable, compelling and, at same time, explain why current perception is not merely untrue, but unfair. It is no easy job to alter what people believe, which is why writing such a message demands persuasive writing ability.

To maintain credibility of message, you may wish to piggy-back it on another announcement or presentation rather than using higher-profile press release format.

Happily, when it comes to delivering your message to members of your target audience, you have multiple choices for your communications tactics. Everything from newsletters, bulletins and alerts, special events and speeches to print and broadcast interviews, press releases, consumer/member briefings and many more. Just be sure tactics your use can demonstrate that they reach people similar to those who make up your target audience.

Before long, you, your PR team, and others in your unit will want to see some progress. Best (and most frugal) way to determine that is to return to perception monitoring in field and ask members of your key target audience same questions used in earlier session.

Only this time, you’ll be on alert for indications that offending perceptions are changing as you planned, along with predictable follow on behaviors.

By way, things can always move faster by adding other communications tactics, and using them on a more frequent basis.

Yes, for managers whose job success depends to a large degree on behaviors of their key external audiences, a public relations problem-solving sequence like this one IS especially good advice!

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com

There are certainly business situations for which Limited Partnership is a "good fit" (for example, if real estate is involved). But that's beyond scope of this article.

So, back to my original question:

How do you move from world of Unlimited Liability to Limited Liability? By forming a "C" Corporation, an "S" Corporation, or a Limited Liability Company.

Having made such a bold statement, let me also say this: I am a firm believer that when it comes to this Choice of Entity issue, one size does not fit all!

So let me add a strong disclaimer:

There certainly are situations where a "C" Corporation, an "S" Corporation, or a LLC is not appropriate.

But generally speaking, for many Small Biz Owners and Self-Employed People, one of these three entities is often times best fit.

If you want protection of limited liability, you've got to choose one of these three entities. Remaining a Sole Proprietor or a General Partnership just doesn't make much sense -- you are putting yourself, your family, and all your personally owned assets at risk.