Follow your own line of thought while at the same time listening to what they have to say (a lot of husbands have already masterded this skill). The listening is important because at any time you could be challenged and must be ready to quote the last sentence in full. A vital additional skill is being able to scan the dialogue for telltale phrases, such as: "They can deliver it tomorrow", or: "I've made an appointment with her for lunch", or: "They can do it in pink"....

(David de Vries)