Abschlussprojekt: Unabhängig kommunizieren
Chapter Overview and Objectives
Chapter 20 is the capstone of Volume III. Tobias's team has spent the past several chapters building the language they need to narrate, explain, argue, communicate formally, and mediate information — from the relative clauses of Chapter 6 through the reporting frames of Chapter 19. In this chapter, that same workplace project continues one final step: the working-time report from Chapter 19 has gone to a wider department meeting, and Tobias's team must now present it, defend it under questions, extend it into a short written recommendation, and explain its outcome to an English-speaking regional colleague who was not in the meeting. This chapter does not teach new grammar. Instead, it asks you to draw together the narrative control, relative clauses, passive and impersonal constructions, connectors, compounds, register choices, Konjunktiv II, and reporting language developed across Volume III into a single connected portfolio of reading, writing, speaking, listening, and mediation tasks.
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Read and synthesize information from more than one connected text at the B2 level.
- Narrate, explain, and argue using accurate case, verb position, and clause structure without conscious translation from English.
- Write a structured formal document that combines summary, explanation, and a clearly marked recommendation.
- Participate in an extended spoken discussion that includes narration, explanation, argument, and response to questions.
- Mediate the content of a German discussion or document for an English-speaking audience, preserving meaning and nuance.
- Revise your own German for accuracy, cohesion, and register across a multi-skill project.
Opening Scenario
The short report that Tobias and Frau Weiss wrote in Chapter 19 has been well received, and Frau Ecker now asks the team to present it at a wider department meeting, answer questions from colleagues who were not involved in drafting it, and prepare a short follow-up recommendation in writing. Herr Novak, a regional colleague based in Zurich who does not read German fluently, also needs a spoken summary in English of what was decided and why, so that his team can align their own scheduling. Tobias must move fluidly between summarizing what colleagues said, defending the team's own reasoning, imagining what might happen under a longer trial period, and explaining the whole outcome clearly to someone outside the German-language conversation entirely.
- Review the cumulative vocabulary and grammar overview below.
- Study the model dialogue, which shows the department meeting in progress.
- Complete the Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Mediation components in order.
- Finish with the B2 Capstone Portfolio, which integrates all five components into one connected project.
Cumulative Vocabulary Review
The vocabulary below draws together key items from across Volume III that the capstone project will require you to use actively. No new vocabulary items are introduced in this chapter.
Erzählen und Erklären (Ch. 2, 6, 9)
- der Lebenslauf, die Lebensläufe — biography, résumé
- die Beschreibung, die Beschreibungen — description
- der Ablauf, die Abläufe — process, sequence
- die Erklärung, die Erklärungen — explanation
Argumentieren und Abwägen (Ch. 16, 17)
- das Argument, die Argumente — argument
- der Einwand, die Einwände — objection
- die Alternative, die Alternativen — alternative
- der Vorschlag, die Vorschläge — suggestion, proposal
Formell kommunizieren (Ch. 11, 12, 15)
- die Anfrage, die Anfragen — formal inquiry
- die Sitzung, die Sitzungen — meeting
- die Rückmeldung, die Rückmeldungen — feedback
- die Empfehlung, die Empfehlungen — recommendation
Zusammenfassen und Vermitteln (Ch. 18, 19)
- die Zusammenfassung, die Zusammenfassungen — summary
- laut (+ Dativ/Genitiv) — according to
- angeben, dass ... — to state that ...
- vermitteln — to mediate, to convey
All active nouns above appear with article and plural, consistent with the vocabulary standard established since Volume I. No item here is new; each was previously activated in the chapter noted.
Grammar Focus: Systeme im Überblick
This chapter introduces no new grammar. The overview below simply reminds you which consolidated systems the capstone project expects you to draw on together, in connected discourse rather than in isolated drills.
Clause architecture: verb-second main clauses, verb-final subordinate clauses, and relative clauses (Ch. 1–6) must work together smoothly in a single paragraph, without reverting to English-style ordering under the pressure of longer discourse.
Passive and impersonal alternatives: the choice among active voice, man, and the werden-passive (Ch. 7) should reflect what the sentence is really about, not habit.
Konjunktiv II: polite requests, hypotheticals, and advice (Ch. 17) remain available whenever the discussion turns to what might happen under a longer trial or a different arrangement.
Reporting frames and attribution: laut, nach Angaben von, and angeben/berichten, dass (Ch. 19) remain the default way to distinguish what others said from what the team itself concludes.
- Obwohl die Regelung laut den meisten Rückmeldungen gut funktioniert, sollte man einzelne Ausnahmen, die besonders viele Kundentermine haben, gesondert betrachten. Although the arrangement works well according to most feedback, one should consider individual exceptions that have especially many client appointments separately. concessive connector + reporting frame + relative clause + man-construction
- Wenn die Testphase verlängert würde, könnte die Abteilung genauer feststellen, ob sich die Zusammenarbeit langfristig verbessert. If the trial phase were extended, the department could determine more precisely whether teamwork improves in the long term. Konjunktiv II conditional + modal + subordinate clause
Error: *Ich denke die Regelung ist gut aber wenn wir würden verlängern die Testphase dann könnten wir mehr Daten haben. (word order collapses toward English patterns as the sentence grows longer)
Correction: Ich denke, dass die Regelung gut ist, aber wenn wir die Testphase verlängern würden, hätten wir mehr Daten. — keep verb-final order in the dass-clause and verb-final order in the wenn-clause, with the conjugated verb only in second position in the following main clause.
Model Dialogue
Setting: the wider department meeting. Context: Tobias presents the report; colleagues who were not involved ask questions; the register is more formal than the planning conversation in Chapter 19.
Guided Practice
For each item, combine the two shorter sentences into one sentence that uses a relative clause, a concessive connector, or a Konjunktiv II conditional, as indicated. This is a bridging task before the full portfolio components below.
- Ein Kollege hat viele Kundentermine. Sein Arbeitsablauf wird durch die festen Bürotage erschwert. (relative clause with dessen)
- Die Regelung funktioniert laut den meisten Rückmeldungen gut. Ein Kollege ist unzufrieden. (concessive connector)
- Wir verlängern die Testphase. Wir haben mehr Daten. (Konjunktiv II conditional)
Model answers appear in the Answer Key.
Listening Component
Ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the following short passage aloud. Listen once for the overall content, then again for how narration, explanation, and recommendation are distinguished.
Sitzungsprotokoll — Listening Script
In der Abteilungssitzung stellte Tobias den Bericht zur neuen Arbeitszeitregelung vor. Laut den Rückmeldungen wird die Regelung insgesamt positiv bewertet, besonders wegen der festen Bürotage. Ein Kollege, dessen Arbeitsablauf durch feste Termine erschwert wird, äußerte Bedenken. Auf die Frage von Frau Ecker, wie sich eine längere Testphase auf die Kundenbetreuung auswirken würde, antwortete Tobias, dass die Kundenbetreuung bisher nicht gelitten habe, man die betroffenen Kolleginnen und Kollegen aber weiter beobachten würde. Das Team empfiehlt, die Regelung nach drei weiteren Monaten erneut zu überprüfen.
Verständnisfragen
1. Welche zwei Reaktionen auf die Regelung werden im Protokoll genannt?
2. Was empfiehlt das Team am Ende?
3. Identify one relative clause, one concessive structure, and one Konjunktiv II form in the passage, and explain what each contributes to the report.
Speaking Component
Aufgabe: Die Sitzung fortsetzen
Work with a partner. Continue the department meeting from the Model Dialogue. One of you plays Tobias, presenting one further point from the Chapter 19 report and defending it. The other plays a skeptical colleague who raises at least one objection and one hypothetical question ("What would happen if ...?").
Rolle: Tobias
- Present one further finding using a reporting frame.
- Respond to the objection with a relative clause or concessive connector.
- Answer the hypothetical question using Konjunktiv II.
Rolle: Skeptische Kollegin/Skeptischer Kollege
- Raise one specific objection about a group not represented in the feedback.
- Ask one hypothetical question about a longer trial period or a different schedule.
- Confirm whether Tobias's answer addressed the concern.
Bewertungshinweise — Speaking Criteria
- Clear narration, explanation, and argument, each distinguishable from the others.
- At least one relative clause and one Konjunktiv II form used accurately.
- Appropriate formal register for a department meeting.
- Comprehensible, natural pronunciation and pacing under extended interaction.
Solo alternative: Record both sides of the exchange yourself, pausing between turns to plan your response.
Reading Component
Kurzprotokoll der Abteilungssitzung
Betreff: Diskussion des Berichts zur neuen Arbeitszeitregelung
Tobias stellte den Bericht vor, der zeigt, dass die Regelung laut den meisten Rückmeldungen gut funktioniert. Herr Brandt, der selbst häufig externe Kundentermine hat, fragte, ob Kolleginnen und Kollegen mit ähnlichen Terminen ausreichend berücksichtigt worden seien. Tobias erklärte, dass genau ein Kollege diese Schwierigkeit gemeldet habe und dass das Team deshalb eine erneute Überprüfung nach drei Monaten statt einer sofortigen, verbindlichen Einführung empfehle. Frau Ecker fragte, wie sich eine Verlängerung der Testphase auf die Kundenbetreuung auswirken würde. Tobias antwortete, die Kundenbetreuung habe laut der Abteilungsleitung bisher nicht gelitten, das Team werde die betroffenen Kolleginnen und Kollegen aber weiterhin beobachten. Die Sitzung endete mit der Zustimmung, den Vorschlag des Teams zu übernehmen.
Verständnisfragen
1. Welche Frage stellt Herr Brandt, und warum ist sie für ihn persönlich relevant?
2. Wie reagiert Tobias auf die Frage von Frau Ecker?
3. Identify each reporting frame and Konjunktiv-related form in the passage, and explain what each signals about the source of the information.
Writing Component
Using the Reading Component passage and the Chapter 19 report as your sources, write a short formal follow-up recommendation of five to seven sentences addressed to Frau Ecker. Your text should summarize the meeting's outcome, address the objection raised by Herr Brandt, and state the team's recommendation clearly, using formal Sie-register throughout.
- Open with a brief formal salutation and one sentence stating the purpose of the message.
- Summarize the meeting's general outcome using a reporting frame.
- Address Herr Brandt's objection directly, using a relative clause or concessive connector.
- State the team's recommendation clearly, marked as the team's own view.
- Close with an appropriate formal closing.
- Review your text against the checklist below.
Revision checklist:
- Is the formal Sie-register maintained consistently, including capitalization?
- Is the general outcome clearly distinguished from Herr Brandt's individual objection?
- Is the recommendation clearly marked as the team's own view?
- Are verb position, case, and relative-clause punctuation correct throughout?
Mediation Component
Herr Novak in Zurich does not read German fluently and was not at the meeting. Using the Reading Component passage, prepare a brief spoken or written summary in English that explains, for his team's planning purposes: what the department decided, why Herr Brandt's concern mattered, and what will happen over the next three months. Your mediation should preserve the meaning and nuance of the German source without translating it word for word or quoting long passages directly.
Good mediation explains what matters to the listener rather than reproducing the source sentence by sentence. Keep the distinction between the general finding, the individual objection, and the team's recommendation clear in your English summary, just as the German report kept them clear.
Culture and Communication
Raising a specific, well-reasoned objection in a department meeting, as Herr Brandt does, is a normal and expected part of professional discussion in German-speaking workplaces, not a sign of conflict. A well-prepared presenter is expected to have anticipated likely questions and to respond calmly and specifically, as Tobias does, rather than treating the objection as a personal challenge.
Coordinating schedules and procedures across German-speaking offices in different countries, as Tobias's team does with a Zurich-based colleague, is common in DACH-region workplaces. Meeting conventions, working-time norms, and communication style can vary somewhat between Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and a careful mediator adjusts explanation, not content, for a colleague working in a different national context.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Sliding into du-forms or informal phrasing partway through a formal written recommendation because the surrounding project has felt collaborative.
Correction: Maintain formal Sie-register consistently across the entire written recommendation, regardless of how informal the underlying team discussion was.
Error: Translating the German report to Herr Novak sentence by sentence, including details irrelevant to his team's planning.
Correction: Select and explain only what Herr Novak's team needs — the outcome, the reason for the delay, and the next review date — rather than reproducing the full report in English.
Error: *Der Kollege der viele Kundentermine hat und der deswegen Probleme hat wollte wissen ob man das ändern kann. (relative clauses stacked without commas or clear case marking)
Correction: Der Kollege, der viele Kundentermine hat und deshalb Probleme mit der Regelung hat, wollte wissen, ob man das ändern kann. — punctuate each relative clause clearly and keep each verb in its correct final position.
Chapter Summary
Chapter 20 brought together the major systems developed across Volume III into one connected capstone project: narrating and explaining a workplace outcome, addressing an objection with relative clauses and concessive connectors, reasoning about a hypothetical extension with Konjunktiv II, writing a formal recommendation in consistent Sie-register, and mediating the outcome for an English-speaking colleague without losing its nuance. No new grammar was introduced; instead, you practiced using Volume III's systems together, under the pressure of extended, multi-skill discourse, at the level expected for B2 communication.
Chapter Review
Before considering Volume III complete, confirm that you can:
- narrate, explain, and argue in connected German without reverting to English word order;
- combine relative clauses, concessive connectors, and Konjunktiv II accurately in extended discourse;
- write a formal recommendation that clearly separates finding, objection, and recommendation;
- participate in an extended spoken exchange that includes objection and hypothetical questions; and
- mediate a German discussion for an English-speaking audience without translating word for word.
B2 Capstone Portfolio
Kapitel 20 — Abschlussprojekt
Ein Projekt abschließen — Completing the Project
Complete a connected sequence of tasks that draws on reading, writing, speaking, listening, and mediation together, demonstrating integrated control of Volume III systems.
1. Protokoll lesen
Read the Reading Component passage and identify the general outcome, the objection, and the recommendation.
2. Empfehlung schreiben
Write the formal follow-up recommendation from the Writing Component, using the revision checklist.
3. Sitzung fortsetzen
Complete the Speaking Component role-play with a partner or solo recording.
4. Für Herrn Novak vermitteln
Complete the Mediation Component, explaining the outcome in English for Herr Novak's team.
Component 1 — Written performance: Complete the Writing Component formal recommendation.
Component 2 — Spoken performance: Complete the Speaking Component role-play.
Component 3 — Mediation performance: Complete the Mediation Component summary for Herr Novak.
| Criterion | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Narrative and explanatory control | Finding, objection, and recommendation are clearly distinguished throughout |
| Clause architecture | Relative clauses, concessive connectors, and Konjunktiv II are used accurately in extended discourse |
| Register consistency | Formal Sie-register is maintained throughout the written recommendation |
| Mediation quality | The English summary conveys outcome and nuance without word-for-word translation |
| Spoken interaction | The role-play handles an objection and a hypothetical question with comprehensible, well-paced German |
Answer Key
Guided Practice — Model Answers
- Ein Kollege, dessen Arbeitsablauf durch die festen Bürotage erschwert wird, hat viele Kundentermine.
- Obwohl die Regelung laut den meisten Rückmeldungen gut funktioniert, ist ein Kollege unzufrieden.
- Wenn wir die Testphase verlängern würden, hätten wir mehr Daten.
Listening Component — Comprehension Questions
- Die Regelung wird insgesamt positiv bewertet, aber ein Kollege äußerte Bedenken wegen erschwerter Termine.
- Das Team empfiehlt, die Regelung nach drei weiteren Monaten erneut zu überprüfen.
- Relative clause: ein Kollege, dessen Arbeitsablauf durch feste Termine erschwert wird; Konjunktiv II: wie sich eine längere Testphase ... auswirken würde and man ... weiter beobachten würde, marking these as hypothetical/reported rather than settled fact.
Reading Component — Comprehension Questions
- Er fragt, ob Kolleginnen und Kollegen mit ähnlichen externen Terminen ausreichend berücksichtigt wurden; die Frage ist für ihn relevant, weil er selbst häufig solche Termine hat.
- Er erklärt, dass die Kundenbetreuung laut der Abteilungsleitung bisher nicht gelitten habe, das Team die betroffenen Kolleginnen und Kollegen aber weiter beobachten werde.
- Reporting frames: laut den meisten Rückmeldungen, laut der Abteilungsleitung; reported-speech forms: habe ... gemeldet, empfehle, habe ... nicht gelitten, werde ... beobachten — each signals that the information is being reported from someone else's statement rather than asserted directly by the writer of the protocol.
Writing, Speaking, and Mediation Components
Open production. Evaluate using the capstone portfolio criteria table above, with particular attention to register consistency, clause architecture, and mediation quality.
B2 Capstone Portfolio
Open production across all three components. Evaluate holistically using the capstone portfolio criteria table: narrative and explanatory control, clause architecture, register consistency, mediation quality, and spoken interaction.
Looking Ahead
Was Sie nach Kapitel 20 können — What you can do after Chapter 20
You have completed Volume III. You can now narrate, explain, argue, communicate formally, and mediate information across connected, multi-skill German discourse at the B2 level, drawing accurately on relative clauses, passive and impersonal alternatives, Konjunktiv II, and reporting frames without conscious translation from English. These integrated systems prepare you for Volume IV, which extends German into professional, academic, and civic communication with greater precision in style, syntax, and argumentation.