What we can talk about (C2)...

norms, feeling for language, language change; weighing opinions about the German language

a talk about the peculiarities, beauty and pitfalls of your own language for a German-speaking audience

anglicisms, loanwords, German as a language of science and a lingua franca

advantages and disadvantages, identity, code-switching, multilingual families

gender-neutral forms of expression, fairly reporting the arguments of all sides, justifying your own position

Austrian, German and Swiss German; dialect in everyday life, prestige and prejudices

chat, emoji, text-speak; does this spoil written language?

presenting and comparing theories, speculating at a high level

Gemütlichkeit, Schadenfreude, Heimat; explaining what resonates in the word

explaining, interpreting, using them appropriately and inappropriately

turning official language into everyday language and vice versa; recognising and breaking down nominal style

euphemisms, banned and controversial words, who decides what may be said

recognising hints, insinuations and polite refusals and formulating them yourself

recognising ironic remarks, speaking ironically yourself, marking irony or deliberately leaving it open

"eigentlich", "halt", "ja", "doch", "durchaus", "allenfalls": saying the same thing at five strengths

Viennese Schmäh, Berlin bluntness, cabaret; what is funny, what hurts

why a pun works, without destroying it

word pairs such as sparsam/geizig, Heimat/Herkunft, Flüchtling/Geflüchteter; what a word reveals about the speaker

wrapping up criticism without watering it down; dosing impoliteness deliberately

truth and lies in everyday life, when honesty hurts

ambiguity, clearing up misunderstandings, clarifying afterwards

three quotes as a framework, weighing positions, making your own position clear, speaking freely

developing a topic in a structured way for two minutes without preparation

preparing a topic for an audience in 6–8 minutes

being interrupted, clarifying, defending a thesis, switching to a new aspect

wedding speech, eulogy, laudatory speech, farewell speech, toast

structuring an argument, examples, concessions, anticipating counter-arguments

analysing politicians' speeches or advertising: pathos, framing, repetition

explaining the same content to children, specialist colleagues and sceptics

welcome, introduction, main part, conclusion; presenting freely with notes

short, quotable, without being pinned down

opening a discussion, giving the floor, slowing down people who talk too much, summarising

making the same complaint in a casual, neutral, formal and highbrow way

conventions of address and greeting in the German-speaking world, switching from Sie to du

understanding, classifying, (not) using it deliberately

breaking down nominal style, chains of participles and the passive into natural speech

using Konjunktiv I and II, reported speech and academic language confidently when speaking

flippant callers, formal callers, dealing with both appropriately

reproducing the content of an article, talk or programme precisely and in a structured way

explaining why a German, Austrian or Swiss person reacted in a particular way

conveying the meaning for family, friends or colleagues, with style and undertones

reporting two positions fairly, finding common ground, suggesting a compromise

interpreting and putting into perspective a chart, statistic or survey result orally

for someone who will never see it: plot, atmosphere, meaning

explaining a difficult topic to lay people or children without distorting it

anticipating where a group is talking at cross purposes, and stepping in

assigning tasks, combining results, putting up with friction

showing understanding, explaining rules you cannot change, offering an alternative

date, price, service; sounding out room for manoeuvre, trading concessions, recording the agreement

justifying your own value, counter-offer, saying no without breaking off

objective, firm, without escalation; arguing with legal claims, without jargon

feedback conversation, feedback to superiors, dealing with unfair criticism

noise, parking space, a tree; resolving a conflict in the building diplomatically

delivering unpleasant news tactfully and unambiguously

roots, an outdated idea or protection against uniformity?

extended family, single, patchwork; development in a country and outlook

emancipation, social security, control, new forms of security

sharing, doing without, social balance, limits of the principle

attention for good causes or self-promotion?

voluntary involvement, benefits for society and the individual, your own experiences

for young people, for pensioners? Pros and cons

old versus young, pensions, housing, climate: who owes what to whom?

when do you belong, what does society demand, what does the individual demand

conformity, peer pressure, outsiders

inequality, inheritance, achievement and luck

life in the city, rural exodus, gentrification, quality of life

bribery on a small and large scale, why it paralyses a country

your own experiences with authorities, order as a value or a burden

how severely an offence should be punished, who should decide

political disenchantment and the freedom not to vote

referendums: more say or populism?

the government or local citizens?

federation, states, cantons, municipalities; who should decide what

the EU, borders, common values, national interests

what freedom means, where it ends, security versus freedom

what may be said, hate speech, cancel culture

climate activists gluing themselves to roads, demonstrations, strikes: legitimate or not?

how parties claim words, exposing buzzwords

networking, privacy, personal rights; why black-and-white thinking is naive

well-founded information versus speed

speed versus form and charm

consumption, news, entertainment; decisions under media influence

whom to believe, how to check, how much to believe

summarising and commenting on a news programme

your own habits, conducting an interview about it, comparing generations

job, role model, advertising; what they say about our times

ORF, ARD, SRF: licence fees, mission, independence

purpose, injustice, alternatives such as portfolios and written assessments

successful school systems, Finland, cooperation instead of competition

children, young people, adults; who decides, who pays

education or training, narrow specialist or general education

the purpose of education beyond certificates

what counts more in learning; what is intelligence anyway

further training, retraining, learning in old age

supporting, challenging, pressure; is talent innate?

tablet instead of book, AI at school, online teaching

why learn about the past, who decides what is remembered

is that true?

commuting, moving for a job, long-distance relationships

freedom, loneliness, control, boundaries between work and life

rules, rewards, colleagues; is there such a thing as the ideal job?

what makes a good leader, how power changes people

dealing with mistakes, attitudes to mistakes, new beginnings

talking about them honestly in a job interview and in life

stress questions, gaps in your CV, presenting yourself without exaggerating

vocation or earning a living, telling and reflecting on your career biography

working hours, burnout, the meaning of work, dropouts

presenting a company, an association or a project to guests

small talk with a purpose, maintaining contacts, asking for a recommendation

blessing or curse, who benefits, who loses

milestones, opportunities, risks, responsibility; giving a talk

may a machine make art? Pros and cons

extending life, hypotheses, ethical questions

science and belief, without technical language

superstition, coincidence, strange places and events; speaking sceptically and openly at the same time

does technology make the world more efficient, is efficiency a value?

genetic engineering, data, research on humans

the transparent human being, convenience versus privacy

car, bike, train, plane; the responsibility of individuals and politics

rubbish in the sea, measures, a pro and con discussion about bans

can you change anything without doing without? Regional products, consumption

advertising, shopping, throwing away; too much choice

where food comes from, animal welfare, chemicals, giving up meat

health, weight, cost, culture

species protection or captivity? A discussion about extending a zoo

self-optimisation, fitness craze, responsibility for your own health

defining, measuring and pursuing happiness; well-being

of yourself, of others, of life; disappointment

personal turning points, how people change, whether they can

smells, nostalgia, how reliable memory is

deciding yourself or getting advice; correcting wrong decisions

why people take risks, positive and negative sides

naming feelings, assertiveness, standing up for yourself

self-image and how others see us, character, clothes as a message

where our values come from: age, education, community; school or parents?

in everyday life, in the family and in society; food and ritual

human and animal behaviour, what counts as normal

friendship, love, faithfulness, when relationships end

loneliness or freedom

ageing with dignity, death, grief, assisted dying as a question of conscience

truth, opinion, perspective

are we responsible for our actions?

duty versus consequences, playing through thought experiments

meaning, duty, pleasure, from antiquity to today

equal opportunities or equal outcomes

do animals have rights?

is humanity getting better?

arguing through a dilemma (trolley, lifeboat) at a high level

comparing definitions, formulating your own

giving a talk, provoking, understanding, rejecting

should the state pay for art and culture?

where it comes from, whether it can be learned

what should literature be like? Paying tribute to a favourite book, assessing a review critically

plot, characters, style, effect; contemporary German-language literature

reciting and interpreting a poem, e.g. by Ringelnatz or Kaléko

inventing the continuation orally and justifying it

what role music plays, from Viennese classicism to pop

discussing a performance, satire and its limits

describing and interpreting pictures, optical illusions, what we overlook

modern buildings, new buildings in the cityscape, protection of historic monuments

the Amber Room, looted art, restitution

causes, course, significance; interpreting finds

was everything better in the past? A talk

days of remembrance, monuments, dealing with dark chapters in Austria, Germany, Switzerland

everyday life, myths and clichés, women in the Middle Ages

making guesses about their lives and motives

language and culture, uniformity versus individuality

travel influencers, trips to Antarctica, overtourism

flight shame, gentle tourism, justifying your choice of travel

why people seek the unknown

documents, transport, accommodation; telling about mishaps with humour

culture shock, returning home, not feeling completely at home anywhere

job, education, plans, what you need the certificate for

the area of your childhood, the place where you live, what it would mean to move away

experiences, breakthroughs, setbacks

living more beautifully, shaping living spaces, housing shortage

ordinary and unusual hobbies, new hobbies to "rejuvenate"

talents, achievements, promoting talent; conducting an interview

why people collect things

the future in your own country or abroad

a talk of about 5 minutes on one of two topics with three quotes, then questions; speaking freely, not reading out

a discussion of about 5 minutes: choosing pro or con, opening the conversation, responding to counter-arguments, persuading

phone call with problem solving, a 5–10-minute presentation with a handout, defending your position in the question round

phone call, presentation, negotiation

a 6–8-minute talk after 20 minutes of preparation, an in-depth conversation with questions that interrupt your train of thought

structuring notes, including quotes, deciding on the opening and the conclusion

task completion, coherence, vocabulary, structures, pronunciation; showing sophisticated language deliberately

going through a complete oral exam once, with feedback

a short talk about white lies, explaining proverbs about truth

paraphrasing jobs with hints without naming the word

comparing ideas of the perfect day, questioning clichés

acting as an interviewer on language, history, talent, following up, summarising

presenting a study, in reported speech, with distance

defining communication, formulating rules and justifying them

why the same text is marked differently by different teachers, objectivity

presenting, comparing, explaining vocational training and university

what you would advise someone who wants to study there

the state, the individual, business

choosing together from several photos, giving reasons, negotiating a compromise

online retail, city centres, habits

advantages, working from home, is there such a thing as the ideal job?

how transport systems can improve, city tolls, publicly or privately run

demanding compensation as an attitude of our times

how much truth is there in it?

the value of jobs for society

who gives the best advice: friends, family, strangers?

am I decisive, why are some people attracted to jobs with difficult decisions

similarities between eating habits and fashion

fashion, lifestyle, design as an expression of a person

evaluating ways of relaxing

learning methods, how we think

meetings, clubs, festivals: what holds a community together

which jobs need a particularly good feeling for language

how important it is to know about local politics

how both shape our interests

whom society values more

which qualities help in learning languages

how important travel is, where wanderlust comes from

literature, reading, hidden meanings