Historyspeaking topic

What set off the fall of the Berlin Wall was not a revolution but a spokesman misreading new travel rules at a press conference and saying they took effect 'immediately, without delay'; the crowds surged to the gates and there was no going back. An era ending not with a grand plan but with a slip of the tongue blurs the line between how much of history is intention and how much is accident.

— The Günter Schabowski press conference, 1989

practice with this topic

Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.