Speak with Impact & Own the Room

Issue #8

Hello Hello!

How are you doing?

This week, I’ve been reflecting on my early days as a journalist - when I wasn’t moderating panels or coaching CXOs on executive presence, but chasing stories in some of India’s most remote corners. I was an investigative journalist who was always in the quest of stories around rural development (or rather, the lack of it!).

In those years, I reported on the kind of stories that break your heart and then rebuild your soul - manual scavenging, child labour, malnutrition deaths among children under 5, rural development failures and corruption at the last mile. My camera team and I would travel for hours to reach villages where no cell signal, running water, or paved roads existed - only real lives, real struggles, and raw humanity.

🎙 From the Journalist’s Chair

Back then, I wasn’t thinking about “communication skills” the way I do now. But looking back, those field reports were my greatest training ground.

To earn a villager’s trust - someone who has never seen a microphone, let alone a camera - you don’t lead with your questions.
You lead with your presence.​
You build connection with your eyes.
You signal respect through your silence.
You earn permission, not just attention.

In a world that often rewards flashy talkers, these experiences taught me something deeper: communication isn’t about sounding smart. It’s about making the other person feel seen and heard.

Today, when I coach CEOs, founders, or emerging leaders, I draw on those lessons. Because whether it’s a villager or a VC, a journalist or a jobseeker - we all want the same thing: to be heard and understood.

👔 From the Coaching Room

It's a week of many wins for me and I cannot deny I'm on a high!

One of my long-standing clients - an inspiring leader in one of the Big 4s, just got promoted to Director level. 🎉 I wrote about his then upcoming promotion meeting in Issue #2 of this newsletter.

This morning, I woke up to his message telling me about his appraisal result and it made my day! Honestly, I'm feeling like "I" got promoted 🥳

For the last few months, we worked hard on:

• Clarifying his unique leadership narrative
• Building presence in senior stakeholder conversations
• Moving from “doer” energy to “decision-maker” presence
• Working on his voice, body language, tone, pace, storytelling
• Perfecting his 15 minute promotion pitch to a jury panel

This promotion is not just a win for him - it’s a win for every quiet, capable leader who chooses intention over noise!

Another client - a senior leader from the UK Financial Services industry, made a fabulous presentation at a Finance Summit and got glowing feedback. She's someone who is typically shy and a woman of few words. We worked on her confidence, body language, volume, emphasis, pacing, assertiveness and tone for the last few months and she did so well! I am so proud!

She was so elated with her performance that she also wrote me a heartfelt recommendation on LinkedIn for which I am super grateful! Yayyyyy!

🧠 What I’m Teaching This Week

Alright, I want to climb down from cloud #9 to mother Earth now and tell you about what I'm teaching this week to one of my clients because I truly believe it can help you too. I’m working with a high-performing brand leader in the retail industry, on something most leaders don’t realise they need:

✅ Emotion tracking
✅ Physical awareness (how your body reacts in tense moments)
✅ Energy check-ins during high-stakes meetings

Because if you don’t know how your own system behaves under pressure, you’ll always be reacting - not responding.

When you know how to track your own mind and body, you become unshakeable in the boardroom. So, I urge you to build your own awareness around your reactions - particularly to criticism, and try to be more objective and honest with yourself, rather than react emotionally at the spur of the moment.

Communication Tip of the Week 🗣️

When you want to assert yourself in a meeting without sounding aggressive, start with this phrase:

This does two things:
✔ Acknowledges others without giving up your voice
✔ Transitions the tone from confrontation to collaboration

Try it the next time you need to hold your ground with grace.

🎁 GIVEAWAY: The Psychology of Assertive Communication

I also have a gift for you this week. It's a resource I created for the client who got promoted to Director at a Big 4. I am giving it away for FREE because I think you can benefit from it too.

Most professionals unknowingly undermine their own credibility. They rush their words, over-explain, fidget, or soften their tone - sending subconscious signals of self-doubt rather than confidence. Worse, the fear of judgment often leads to playing it safe, seeking approval, or sounding subservient - the exact opposite of executive presence.

So I put together this guide for senior leaders - to help you rewire your mind to naturally radiate confidence, command attention, and influence powerfully. It will tell you:

✅ How to overcome subconscious fears that weaken your presence

✅ The Gravitas Formula: A psychology-backed method to look, sound, and feel authoritative

✅ The 80/20 Rule of Assertiveness: Saying less while influencing more

✅ Leadership Identity Shifts to transform how you’re perceived - permanently!

Go through it, apply the exercises and tell me if they worked for you!

Get Assertive Communication Guide

🚀 How You Can Work with Me

I help leaders speak and speakers lead!

Here’s how we can collaborate:

✅ 1:1 Appraisal Prep – Get promotion-ready with strategic storytelling & executive presence.
✅ Workshops for Teams – Build communication capability and executive presence across levels.
✅ Pitch & Panel Coaching – From investor decks to industry forums, I help you own the room.
✅ Media & Podcast Training – Speak in soundbites, stay sharp, and bring your best voice forward.

📩 Just hit reply or DM me on LinkedIn and let’s find the right format for you.

If this edition sparked a thought, a smile, or a shift, forward it to a colleague or friend who could use it today.

And if you’re new here, you can read previous editions here ​

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Keep showing up, speaking up, and standing tall.
Until next week, it's goodbye! 😊

Warmly,
​Mridu Bhandari 💫🎤​
Public Speaking Coach | Leadership Communication Expert | TV Anchor & Journalist
Founder & Chief Mentor, Mentorleap
​Helping you own the room & speak with impact!

LEARN ABOUT SPEAK WITH IMPACT