A good conversationalist knows how to listen and then get folks to share about themselves.

It is part voodoo science, part magic and a few other things. Everyone is different, so you have to use intuition (i.e. NLP and other cues) to determine what is an d is not working. BTW, intuition and psychic ability isn't magic, it's just developing the "eyes" to see things folks don't normally notice. That's what you need to do.

I like to do carpentry and home fixit. I practice new skills on non-critical projects, sometimes seeking out friends who need help with something. You should do the same.

Next time you go out for lunch, coffee, dinner, etc. keep an eye out for anyone sitting by themselves and ask if you can join them, and practice. Just don't press it if they aren't interested. You'll make someone's day to boot. Watch out for anyone you see that you decide you don't want to ask. These are the folks you need to work on the most. Also, stick with it even if they are rude or express objectionable opinions, and don't express your judgement. You're there to be a interviewer of sorts.

Being a compassionate person, which is what you need to be as a provider, is completely accepting of anyone, regardless of anything (obviously certain things such as violence are off limits) - appearance, intellect, etc.

None of this can be done well if you go in with pre-conceived notions of the person. Yes, we all have them, so it is important to know what our prejudices are, and the notions we may have of this person. Only ion that way can you set those aside temporarily.