I don't much give a damn about how "nice" someone is.

Hmmm. I think I do, but I suspect I only care about certain aspects of "nice," like "generally sympathetic" and "not quick to anger." Other things that fall under that umbrella, I prefer at least low-average levels of, but not above-average. Then again, I'm also not sure how much of what I think of as niceness falls under communication skills, if communication skills include listening objectively and attempting to genuinely understand.