Bridge Builders Toastmasters Club

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About us

Become a more confident communicator. Grow as a leader.

Whether you’re stepping into leadership, managing a team, building your career, or growing a business, your ability to communicate clearly and confidently matters.

Bridge Builders Toastmasters, a local chapter of the Toastmasters International organization, gives you a supportive place to practice the skills that make a difference every day: expressing your ideas clearly, thinking on your feet, leading meetings and conversations, giving and receiving feedback, presenting with confidence, and becoming more comfortable speaking in front of others.

Unlike a class or one-time workshop, Toastmasters gives you the opportunity to practice these skills again and again in a friendly environment where everyone is working to improve.

Our members include professionals, emerging and experienced leaders, and business owners from throughout the community. Whether you want to become more confident at work, prepare for greater leadership responsibilities, communicate more effectively with your team, or become a better speaker, you’re welcome here.

What happens at a meeting?

Each Bridge Builders meeting has three main parts:

Prepared speeches give members a chance to develop and practice presentations.
Table Topics helps you get better at organizing your thoughts and responding confidently when you’re put on the spot.
Evaluations teach you how to give—and receive—specific, constructive feedback.

Everyone has opportunities to participate, and different meeting roles help you practice different skills, including leading a meeting, listening carefully, giving feedback, introducing speakers, managing time, thinking on your feet, and communicating clearly and concisely. You participate at your own pace, taking on new challenges as your confidence and skills grow.

And no, we don't teach you how to make toasts.

Despite the name, Toastmasters isn't about raising a glass—and it isn't only for people who are afraid of public speaking. If speaking in front of others makes you nervous, you'll find a supportive place to build confidence one step at a time. But experienced speakers benefit, too. Toastmasters helps you become more intentional about how you communicate: organizing and tightening your message, eliminating distracting habits, using your voice and body language effectively, staying within your allotted time, connecting with your audience, handling unexpected questions, and learning from constructive feedback. There's always another level to develop.

See for yourself - join us at an upcoming meeting!

WHEN AND WHERE:

Bridge Builders meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month from noon–1:00 p.m.
We have a hybrid meeting so you can in person at or online.
We are hosted by CB&I in Plainfield, but membership is open to everyone.
Guests are always welcome. There’s no pressure to speak and no obligation to join—come experience a meeting and see what Toastmasters is really like.

Interested? RSVP for an upcoming meeting and we’ll send you the details.

The Zoom link opens at 11:45 am, and the meeting will formally start at 12:00 pm. To join the meeting online, please e-mail us at [bridgebuilderstm@gmail.com](mailto:bridgebuilderstm@gmail.com) to get the meeting link and log-in information.
In person attendance is at CB&I headquarters, located at 14105 S. Rt. 59, in Plainfield, IL. To attend, please email us at [bridgebuilderstm@gmail.com](mailto:bridgebuilderstm@gmail.com) to get on the corporate guest list, and so you can be guided to the conference room upon arrival.