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Speak with Impact & Own the Room

Stage fright? Fear of public speaking? Too shy to speak up? Intimidated by authority figures? Struggling to connect with your team members? If you're an entrepreneur or working professional and you're facing these or other communication challenges at the workplace, hop on! I'm Mridu Bhandari, TV Anchor & Journalist, Podcast Host, Public Speaking & Workplace Communication Coach & Entrepreneur. Every week I share learnings, experiences and actionable tips to help you SPEAK WITH IMPACT & OWN THE ROOM!

In the Air. On Stage. At Work. One Skill Connects Them All.

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #10 Hello Hello! I know I've been missing in action for the last 2 weeks. Now, I'm back after the hiatus and no, I haven't resorted to automating this newsletter yet so you didn't receive it for 15 days. I was moving countries and taking a break for that, hence was completely off work - even the fun parts of it - like writing this newsletter! Four days after the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, I found myself boarding an Air India flight from New...
Can you talk about AI without the technical jargon?

The New Language of Leadership: Can You Speak AI Without Sounding Robotic?

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #9 Hello Hello! Over the years, I’ve gone from interviewing rural India families on manual scavenging and caste based discrimination… to interviewing CEOs on digital transformation and AI. The topics changed. The intention didn’t: make the complex simple, and the boring emotional. From 2020's business continuity panic to 2023's boardroom Gen AI debates, and now in 2025, the buzzing trend is Agentic AI. So what’s the story behind the story? An excerpt...
Mridu in a village in UP in 2007-2008 interviewing people in rural India

This One Skill Helped Me Earn Trust in Indian Villages and C-Suites Worldwide

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...
Mridu Bhandari moderating a panel discussion

Your Next Appraisal Starts Now (Even if It’s 6 Months Away)!

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #7 Hello Hello! How are you doing? As you know I juggle journalism, leadership communication coaching and entrepreneurship and on most days I am walking a tightrope. So when I started writing this edition of the newsletter, I was reflecting back on all the wonderful people I've met and interviewed over the years - from policy makers to global business leaders, economists, academicians, founders, VCs and others, I thought hard about what's common among...

What Bollywood Dancing Taught Me About Executive Presence

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #6 Hello hello! Last weekend, I did something delightfully different. I went out Bollywood dancing in New York. Think thumkas, sweat, and high-energy Govinda moves on full blast. It was loud. Really loud. You couldn’t hear a thing. But here’s what fascinated me: even without words, we were all communicating. A quick glance. A nod. The exaggerated movement of someone’s lips mouthing “LEFT!” or “AGAIN!” across the room and somehow, I understood them. It...
Mridu Bhandari at Princeton University

Headed for your appraisal meeting? Say THIS not THAT!

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #5 Hello hello! It's appraisal season. Yes, that time of the year - again! And if you’re like most professionals, you’re feeling hopeful, a little anxious, and unsure how to position yourself powerfully in that one conversation that can change the trajectory of your year. Let me start with a simple truth. You’ve done the work. You’ve delivered. But performance doesn’t speak for itself, people do.And how you speak in that room makes all the difference....
US Capitol

From US Capitol to Justin Trudeau to your Career: It's all about Powerful Speech!

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #4 Hello hello! How are you doing? April has been very interesting for me. I love to travel (as do most people these days!) and I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Washington, D.C. this month - that I really loved visiting. The high point was riding around on electric scooters all the time but also, I felt there was something in the air - democracy, public policy, activism - it was just different. Good different! 🏛️ I stood at the Capitol and...
Speak with Impact Online Public Speaking Bootcamp

Want your ideas to stick in people's minds? Describe, don't declare!

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #3 Hello hello! How was your week? Mine was very exciting and I'll tell you why! One of the most common questions I get asked as a public speaking coach is - "by when can I see a transformation"? It's pretty much the same question that I've asked all my gym trainers at various points in time 😃. And now I answer like my instructors would answer me - "Just put in the work, you will see the difference!". Habits get formed over time and when the power of...
Client testimonial for Speak with Impact

Let's talk tone, habits and a little something special for you 🌱🎤

Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #2 Hello hello! Mid April already! This year too is feeling like it's travelling at the speed of light. How are we doing on those new year resolutions? Mine was to start a newsletter in 2025! As you can see, I am making some progress with it now. The other habit I’ve been building is that of daily yoga. I am at 80 days of yoga since 1st Jan 2025, so not too bad eh? Habits have the power of compounding. The more reps you put in, the better you become....
Mridu Bhandari speaking on stage

Still not getting the recognition you deserve?

SPEAK WITH IMPACT A 2-Day Online Bootcamp to transform your communication! SIGN UP NOW Speak with Impact & Own the Room Issue #1 Hi there, How are you doing? Two clients I've been coaching this month made me think a lot about how many opportunities professionals lose simply because they are not seen and heard enough! One missed a promotion and one was reprimanded for not being able to crack a tough sales deal with a global CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Think about it! You work hard. You...

Stage fright? Fear of public speaking? Too shy to speak up? Intimidated by authority figures? Struggling to connect with your team members? If you're an entrepreneur or working professional and you're facing these or other communication challenges at the workplace, hop on! I'm Mridu Bhandari, TV Anchor & Journalist, Podcast Host, Public Speaking & Workplace Communication Coach & Entrepreneur. Every week I share learnings, experiences and actionable tips to help you SPEAK WITH IMPACT & OWN THE ROOM!