I have begun to think of "conversation skill" as a craft, and I'll tell you why. Although the term "art of conversation" is more commonly used and is included in the title of many books on the topic, the word "art" sometimes connotes the idea of "innate talent" that is possessed by only a few, and is expressed colloquially as the "gift of gab."
Actually, the vast majority of humans have the intelligence and ability to learn conversation skills at least to the level of competency, and some to the level of mastery. Many of you are practical people, and I think that you might be more drawn to the concept of "craft" than to "art." (After all, we learned many complicated skills along the way of life, including woodworking. cooking, and typing, as well as a wide variety of household skills. And nearly everyone learns to speak in their native language.)
Writers often think of their work as a "craft," or sometimes, like my friend Bob Kelly, as "wordsmithing." (Bob's complimentary newsletter available at his website, www.wordcrafters.info.) Anu Garg's great site is titled Wordsmith.org (He publishes a free daily newsletter, A.Word.A.Day.)
Blacksmith. Silversmith. Wordsmith. Practical, indeed, and learnable. Rock-solid.
Now, here are some dictionary definitions of "craft."
"a special skill or dexterity" or "skill in planning, making, or executing." also, "an occupation or avocation requiring special skills, especially manual ones, including carpentry, sewing, pottery, etc." (Speech writers often use the term "speechcraft.")
However, the term "art" is more general, and covers this territory:
art: art refers to all creative human endeavors. The word "art" comes from the Latin ars, which, loosely translated, means "arrangement" or "to arrange"
I am inclined to reserve the "art of conversation" term to the product of verbal masters like Montaigne, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and Mark Twain. All of these were truly "gifted" in the use of language, both in writing and in repartee.
One more concept for special kinds of conversation skill: Game game: any specific contest, engagement, amusement, computer simulation, or sport involving physical or mental competition under specific rules, as football, chess, or war games.
In verbal exchanges, sometimes we compete and try to win, such as in debates, joke-telling, and "can-you-top this" banter. Like other games, such exchanges include a goal, rules of play, obstacles, and competitors. If, however, at least one of the conversers thinks of conversation only as a game with a winner and a loser, this frame can be troublesome because every exchange then becomes a competition.
Although "the art of conversation" may be beyond the reach of some readers, the "craft of conversation" is within everyone's grasp as a practical set of skills that can be learned in everyday life. I find "craft" a very practical frame for thinking about conversation because it's not "fancy." Then, how cam your learn a higher level of this "craft"?
By observing competent conversers and practicing.
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