From a humble beginning in 1924 at the YMCA in Santa Ana, California, Toastmasters International has grown to become a world leader in helping people become more competent and comfortable in front of an audience.
Today, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization which gives its members the
opportunity to develop and improve their public speaking abilities through local club meetings, training seminars and speech contests. Toastmasters International includes more than 260,000 members in more than 12,500 clubs in more than 113 countries.
Experienced professionals and beginning speakers alike can benefit from our practical, face-to-face learning program. Whether you're speaking to the board of directors, your customers, your co-workers or your kids, Toastmasters can help you do it better. You'll learn and practice in a friendly, comfortable environment with people who are there for the same reason you areto become better communicators.
At Toastmasters, members learn by speaking to groups and working with others in a supportive environment. A typical Toastmasters club is made up of 20 to 30 people who meet once a week for about an hour. Each meeting gives everyone an opportunity to practice conducting meetings, giving impromptu speeches, presenting prepared speeches, and offering constructive evaluation.
We alternate meeting locations between our two BDO offices in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 1st, 3rd and 5th Wednesdays of the month we meet at our BDO office on 770 Kenmoor SE, Suite 300, GR, MI - this is right off of the Cascade & I96 exit. The 2nd & 4th Wednesday meet at our BDO office downtown Grand Rapids at 200 Ottawa Ave., Suite 300, GR, MI. Check out the Directions page for directions.
We value our members time - we meet promtply from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. We hope to see you soon!
