Learning to give your full voice

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Garrett Gardner has spent the majority of his adult life hearing voices.

"I've never been afraid on stage. I just talk what I know," he said.

Getting clients to do the same, especially those uncomfortable with public speaking, is the goal of Gardner's company, Full Voice.

Using a homegrown program developed over 13 years, Gardner has tutored groups and individuals on the art of sharing their thoughts clearly and concisely using six, one-hour sessions. Through the company, founded in 1992, he has trained the voices of workers at several metropolitan area businesses.

The premise is simple: Speaking is all about forming a clear channel between the mind and the mouth. People sometimes get so focused on one aspect of communication the rest of the ability suffers. The break down, especially in the business world, can be detrimental.

Gardner doesn't try to fix what's wrong; he tries to enhance what's right.

"You can't build credibility if you can't apply good communication skills at a moment's notice," Gardner said.

His credibility in the field is a mixture of production, practice and knowledge.

For instance, Gardner's introduction is based on four facets: His name, company, what he does and how he can benefit you. As in, "I'm Garrett Gardner with Full Voice. I'm a vocal trainer who can teach you to say it better."

Gardner's dress is also a means of communication. His "costume" includes a bow tie. Through exposure people will identify Full Voice with a microphone or his bow tie.

"You try to leave something in people's minds so they'll remember you," he said.

Training people to say it better involves more than techniques. Gardner attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, where he majored in communicative arts and studied philosophy and psychology. Back then his studies had no name. Today the field is called socio-lingusitics.

"There is a lot of philosophy and psychology in how people speak," said Gardner, who is also a certified mediator. "They changed the name of the degree because it sounded better."

While a sophomore and junior at Xavier, Gardner helped voice Warner Bros. cartoon character Pepe Le Pew and other Warner and Hanna-Barbera cartoons part time.

"I got involved through my major professor in communicative arts. He did many of the major character voices for Hanna-Barbera and Warner Brothers, in the early and late '60s," Gardner said. "I did not come up with the voices. Many people did the voices and had 'ears' for them."

After college, Gardner went to work at the Greater Kansas City Convention and Visitor's Bureau and in the insurance industry "to get my kids into college." During that time, he learned the differences between good communicators and those who struggled.

Today, he said the most frequent request from businesses and individuals is how to remember what to say in given situations. In addition, business people look to acquire confidence in their speech.

"Companies say, 'Send me people who can speak and write,"' he said, later adding, "When you try to pick the right word, it's often the wrong word."

The Full Voice name was given to Gardner by former Kansas City Mayor Richard Berkeley, who suggested the name during a conversation when the company was an idea. Today, Full Voice doesn't advertise, building its clientele through word-of-mouth and referrals.

Strangely, much of Gardner's work doesn't involve communicating.

"I've read more in 13 years of business than anytime in my life," Gardner said.

At the end of the Full Voice program, Gardner gives clients a diploma, an item he said several clients display at their offices along with college diplomas and other certifications.

Gardner is also looking toward his own graduation of sorts. He eventually hopes to hand the reins of the company to his partner Rod McIntyre, who works in the Lawrence, Kan., and Topeka, Kan., areas. In any case, he said he'll continue to offer his services to those who want them.

"My purpose is to build better communicators," he said. "If I do that, it takes care of itself financially."