Wait for the end

Most of us start shaping our reply while the other person is still talking. It feels efficient, but it means we answer the first half of what they said and miss the second.

A simple habit helps: wait until they have finished, then wait one more breath. That small pause tells the speaker you were listening to all of it, and it often draws out the most important sentence, which tends to come last.

If something they said surprises you midway, hold it. You can come back to it. Interrupting to correct a detail usually costs you the point they were building towards.