Our Story
After only one session with Speak Confidence, you’ll learn the most important thing about public speaking: it should be easy and fun! The “easy and fun” mantra anchors all our teaching because it reframes how people usually consider public speaking; however, it doesn’t exactly explain how we got to this moment.
When founder Claudia Fernández Audiffred’s son Diego received a school public speaking assignment he came home with frustration and anxiety. He did not think getting up in front of the class would be easy or fun. Claudia, however, turned him into her first success story.
His success started in the classroom but took off from there. After much practice, Diego transformed from shy and timid, to a national and international public speaking champion.
Diego’s friends eventually wanted the same confidence for themselves and so Claudia’s business Talleres de Comunicación Fernandez Audiffred was born in their country of Mexico. They found abundant success as they ran multiple workshops—sometimes twice a day—and started to build a community. They offered classes for children only at first, but later grew to teach teenagers, adults, elderly, and professionals as well. It was hard work, but Claudia was passionate, and it paid off; she developed a program that would later bring over 500 students more confidence and less fear.
After 10 years of successful work, the COVID-19 pandemic brought challenges and transitions. Suddenly they pivoted to an online format which pushed them to develop new methods for engaging programming.
Although this change wasn’t easy, it opened new opportunities for limitless expression, and the team started teaching students globally.
Then, in 2021, the Fernández Audiffred family prepared for an even bigger change. They packed up everything and followed Diego to Canada so he could study at The University of Toronto. This move meant uprooting the entire business and putting it on pause. Even with all these changes, however, Claudia never lost her passion for teaching confidence and her desire to help people.
Time seemed to tick on slowly as Claudia settled in Canada and pursued further education at Sheridan College in Oakville. She chose a social service program that would further equip her to do the work she had started in Mexico. She has experience working with various underserved communities such as neurodivergent and elderly students. In all this, she maintains her goals of improving public speaking, boosting moral holistically, and increasing self-esteem.
Finally, after two long years of school, she decided to resume her dream. With a diploma in one hand and the “easy and fun” mantra in the other, Claudia had her first Canadian business meeting with her new friends and business partners: the Maat family.
Together they fanned the spark of her business that had never quite fizzled out and decided it was time to start again. This time in Canada, with a new team, and new name—Speak Confidence!