How to write in a more conversational tone?
I come from an academic background. Writing has always been an easy thing to me, but almost all of my practice outside of poetry has been in academic writing.
I'll find myself writing in the way that I think, with all of the hedges for the sake of completeness, and realize that what I've written would be very understandable, but would not give you the impression that I'm talking to you.
Perhaps I'm giving myself a harder time than I need to, but I feel that it is a worthy rebuke of my writing.
Edit: I write philosophical non-fiction papers on all sorts of things like religion, culture, politics, etc.
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Get thee to a writer's group!
Find yourself a group that meets in person (or by video or phone, if you must). Where you take turns reading your work out loud to each other.
If that doesn't come together, find friends or family willing to be your audience.
Still can't swing it? read the work out loud to yourself.
The very act of reading out loud will expose anything stilted or off. This goes a long way, even if no one else hears it.
The act of reading to someone and getting feedback will tell you if your efforts to pull the reader/audience in are working.
It's not perfect. Sometimes things work well in print but not out loud. And sometimes things sound great out loud but just don't come together in print. This is a technique that's essential for dialogue, but also works for a wide variety of genres, both fiction and nonfiction.
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