The topics of conversation are chosen randomly, and each topic is tied to a skill, and if you have no skills it'd choose generic pop topic. It's frustrating when RNG chooses an option no one is in favor of, for sure.
The best way I've seen it being handled, and it's a mod, is when player is given a direct choice of the topic, like you said. More topics appear the more skills you have, and you remember which topic was liked or disliked by the given character, and with high Charisma you can sort of guess right away which topics will interest them.