Re: How Do I Have Better Conversations?

I read a fascinating Slate.com article recently about how to improve the quality of one's conversations.  The content of the article was taken from Quora and basically argued that, in order to have better conversations, one must be steeped in factually knowledge as well as a deep thinker.  The writer encouraged the person asking the question, among other things, to spend time reading reference books and to really analyze works of art.  Here is the article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2017/01/24/how_do_i_have_better_conversations.html .
I thought that the article was fascinating, but at the same time, I wanted to disagree with it.  Does some really need to memorize countless facts in order to be a good conversationalist?  Can't one be a creative conversationalist as well as a factual conversationalist?  I assume the writer gives the advice based on experience, but at the same time, I wanted to question it.  As just one example, I am currently reading Alan Dean Foster's Alien.  Would a conversation about that book really be less valuable than a conversation about Robert Balay's Guide to Reference.  I leave it to you to be the judge, but I thought that it was an interesting issue, anyhow.  And it may impact my reading habits in the future!