It's listening and responding to observations and interpretations from others and reaching joint understandings. Good conversation also is informal. Informality gives permission to relax, open up and share. It's OK to joke, or be kidded by others. It's OK to try out an idea that's not yet fully formed or tested.
Good conversation is now.
It's a way to fit in and connect to others, and to gain new perspectives. If we're lucky enough to be in the same physical space, we're also exchanging subtle communication cues from facial expressions and body postures about how we feel right now. Studies have shown that comprehension increases up to 30 percent when a listener looks directly at a speaker. If we're talking by telephone, cues are given by tone of voice, hurry or calmness, amount of small talk preceding the main subject of the call. We may even alter each other's moods by our conversational approaches.