How rare in your experience is being a solid, good conversationalist as a trait/skill in your experience?
Well, it's becoming rarer since verbal communication is being condensed and slowly transitioning towards a non-verbal form (think social media platforms such as instagram, snapchat, exc). (*) Further, the increase in industrialization is condensing space, which implies that there will exist more events and people within a unit space. I believe the increase in environmental stimulus is causing our neurotransmitter receptors to readjust to a higher demand. Thus, we need to saturate ourselves in more activities/events to excite our neurotransmitters due to adaptation in respect to an increase in activity.
Suppose your life represents multiple line segments which comprise of individual events. An increase in stimulus implies that your life will comprise of smaller line segments relative to lesser developed area (due to more distractions/activity). We can define each one-one conversation as event x1,x2,....,xn. If each line segment is being compressed, then events x1-->xn become compressed (due to distractions such as phone calls, texts, noise, exc). This is one reason the rate misdiagnosed ADD is tending upward. Therefore, the ability to develop the skill as a conservationist would reduce due to time constraints....But, if we consider that more events will be observed in a unit time, there will be an increase in our repository in regards to potential topics. The internet provides a massive storage of information, so in theory, we have an increase in the potential to become a good conversationalist. Yet, by (*), our potential is greatly minimized because our mind will tend to wander and our patience for extended conversation is reducing.
Of course, I am generalizing here....Based on the trend, there is going to be a steady increase in internet/mobile communication since non-verbal reasoning/intellect is trending upward and verbal intellect is trending downward (due to technological advance). Of course, there will exist veracious readers who deviate from the trend (altering brain plasticity)....I have observed that bankers, accountants, and service providers/agents can become more introverted over time (less sociability) due to the environment....Constantly repeating the same dialogue or repetitive tasks day in day out causes the brain to slowly adapt to such conditions (including reduction in sociability). Thus, it will take some resistance to break the cycle if one is to be involved in such a cycle for an extended period.