Composing oral poems and storytelling are two exercises that speech teachers can use in oral interpretation courses. Conducting the oral poetry exercise early in an introductory interpretation course allows students to become acquainted with each other and to encourage each other while sharing something of themselves with the entire class. This exercise begins with an introduction to the oral tradition and examples of the oral tradition in popular culture. After the teacher composes an oral poem for the class while some of the students record the poem as it is composed, the class discusses aspects of the oral tradition further. Then the teacher's poem is recomposed, comparing the similarities and differences of the two versions. Subsequently, all the students get opportunities to compose and record oral poems. A second exercise, one that can be used in classes on chamber theatre, is storytelling--performing as a narrator while other class members act out the parts of the story's characters. This exercise promotes a discussion of the differences in narrative control, narrative attitudes, and the relationships between the narrator, the audience, and the scene. (RL)