Effective business communication is equal parts art and science.
When used as a conjunction, “but” has the magical power of invalidating whatever clause preceeded it. Consider these two examples that I received recently:
“I don’t want to force the issue on this, but I would hate to have us both miss an opportunity to have a mutually beneficial working relationship.”
Don’t let a big “but” get in the way of your message. Next time, try using “and” instead.
I like Big Buts, and I cannot lie.