&gt; The second strategy is to be so good at this as to believe in your lies&#x2F;stories you&#x27;re telling.<p>That is harder than it sounds.  Even sociopaths have a hard time outright lying.  Or keeping lies straight.<p>The technique being used here is one of <i>consistency</i>.  Is your story consistent?  Does it have all of the details one expects from a normal story?  Are there any hesitations when recalling the story?<p>It is <i>very</i> difficult to come up with consistent and detailed lies on a moments notice.  The better approach (used by lying CEOs on news shows) is to have a <i>different</i> story that you tell in detail.