MicroEnglish.

Upper hand
Business English | B2

Listening exercises with “Upper hand”

This is a very useful idiom for identifying who has the most power or control in certain situations, such as during meetings or negotiations.

If someone has the upper hand, then they are in a stronger or more powerful position than other people involved in the situation (see micro-dictation 2).

If someone gains the upper hand then something has happened which puts them in a stronger position than before (see micro-dictation 3).

When you want to talk about the reasons for someone being in a stronger position than others, you can talk about the things that give them the upper hand (see micro-dictation 1).

Have a go at these micro-dictation exercises to hear this expression being used in context – how much can you understand?

Accent: Australia

80%
1x

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
, .
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
I’m will be the easiest world, but strong Asia gives us .
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
I’m not it will be the easiest in the world, but I our strong presence Asia gives us the hand.
0%
About the sentence

Accent: England (RP)

80%
1x

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
, .
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
candidates for , and it isn’t has the .
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
There several candidates for position, and this stage it isn’t who has the hand.
0%
About the sentence

Accent: North America

80%
1x

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
.
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
We’re partnership will gain the a very .
0%

Keyboard Shortcuts

Esc — Play/Pause (rewinds 1.5s)
Ctrl/⌘ + ← — Skip back 1.5s
Ctrl/⌘ + → — Skip forward 1.5s
We’re that this partnership will us to gain the hand in a very competitive .
0%

In

,

2 responses

  1. Anastasiia Makhovska Avatar
    Anastasiia Makhovska

    1. WHEN I TRIED:
    As an in-house lawyer for a software company, I deal with this often during contract negotiations.

    Recently, a big client tried to force us into giving them huge discounts, claiming they could just go to another vendor. They thought they had the upper hand, but I noticed they had a very short deadline that only we could meet.

    Instead of cutting our prices, I shifted the focus to our fast delivery time. I reminded them that long contract negotiations would delay their project schedule. Realizing that lost time would cost them far more than our software, they quickly agreed and signed our standard offer at a full price.

    2. STRATEGIES:
    Having a Plan B – if you have other good options, you are not desperate. Being ready to walk away gives you the upper hand in any negotiation.

    Staying calm – in conflicts or difficult discussion, the person who keeps their nerves and thinks logically usually wins over someone who reacts emotionally.

    3. IMPACT IN RELATIONSHIP:
    I think it really depends on the type of relationship, but generally:

    In personal relationships: Constantly trying to “win” or control your partner or friends is pretty toxic. It destroys trust, because a good relationship should be a team effort, not a competition. If one person always feels defeated, it usually ends as a breakup.

    In professional relationships: It’s a bit more complicated. Having the upper hand in business is normal and necessary to make good deals. However, if a company or a boss always uses their power to win against the other side, no one will want to work with them in a long-term.

    Reply
    1. Chris Bargery Avatar
      Chris Bargery

      Brilliant examples Anastasiia, and very well written. I have a couple of small comments:

      – “the person who keeps their nerves” – Nearly! The expression is ‘to hold your nerve’, so here I’d say “…the person who holds their nerve…”
      – “no one will want to work with them in a long term” : this should be “in the long term”

      Well done 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Contact me
Get Full Access Log in
Contact me
Get Full Access Log in