If you can pin them down to giving specific steps or details in smaller doses, that could help. You might be able to do that by researching enough that you have specific questions to ask and get them to answer just that question succinctly. Or asking for a good resource to get the key points. Sometimes experienced people don't remember what it was like to be trying to stay afloat in a new ocean and instead try to give a satellite image when you just need to know where the flotation devices are kept.