No buts about it: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. That saying holds true in business. No matter what your industry or function is, your success depends greatly on how you communicate. One simple tip I picked up years ago and have used both in sales and management is substituting the word but with the word and. Every time I hear a sentence that has a “but” in the middle I cringe – knowing that bad news is coming or the person is discounting my idea. Think about how you react when you hear it and try to listen to yourself when you say it. It’s simply a negative sounding conjunction.