Why make the change?

If you’re accidentally giving a negative impression, very few people will tell you. Given that, I think it’s worth at least trying to say “but yes” for a while. Pay close attention to how it changes the tenor of your interactions (or just ask a colleague whether you’ve been coming across differently, if you’re comfortable with that). There’s very little downside: in the worst case you waste a little mental effort juggling grammar.

Say "but yes", not "yes but" | sean goedecke

This feels like a neat little experiment worth trying. It seems similar to a yes, and experiment I did a couple years ago that also really changed how people perceived how I approached the situation. Active listening also helps quite a bit. I've received strong positive feedback during times where I've employed active listening, especially in tough, contentious situations where the emotions were high. Trust me when I say that you can employ them even in the company of self professed highly logical people in your midst. In fact, I've found that to be useful for both the logically and the emotionally proficient.