Meet Sam Kleman: A Computer Science Major Breaking the Mold in Speech and Debate
A Passion for Debate
Sam Kleman, a sophomore in computer science at Boise State University, is an active member of the Boise State Talkin’ Broncos speech and debate team. Growing up in Idaho, Sam discovered their passion for debate during high school at Mountain View High School.
Reflecting on their journey into debate, Sam shared:
“I started my freshman year of high school. I joined my high school debate team. My mom did it in high school and she said that she really enjoyed it and I wanted to see if it was something that I would enjoy. And it ended up being one of my favorite things in the world. And then I didn’t want it to be over when I graduated high school. So I looked into collegiate teams, found this one and found out later that it is one of the most highly regarded teams in the Northwest, which is really cool!”
A Unique Perspective in STEM
As a computer science major, Sam acknowledges that their presence in the debate team is somewhat unusual.
“This isn’t something you would expect a STEM major to do. The demographic of the team very much revolves around communication, political science, English, and humanities. I think it is very interesting coming at this from the perspective of someone who is very much mathematically oriented. I think it’s cool to bridge the gap between those two areas.”
Their technical background provides a valuable perspective to the team:
“I feel that my voice and input on the team is valued, in particular with more STEM-oriented topics.”
A glimpse into Debate and IPDA
Sam competes in the International Public Debate Association (IPDA) format, which is known to focus on accessibility and real-world argumentation. In an IPDA round competitors from different schools start with a list of five topics. They take turns eliminating topics until they settle on one. Then each has a set amount of time to prepare before debating.
Competitions are structured into flights, which refer to rounds within a tournament. Pairings are based on individual rankings, and competitors are assigned opponents accordingly. Sam describes their current standing within the competition structure:
“In this case, I am a junior IPDA.”
During a round, the negation (opposing side) strikes first, and the affirmative (supporting side) makes the final decision on the topic. Sam elaborates on the strategic aspect of this format:
“For Negation, there’s a strategic advantage in striking first, but for Affirmative, you get to ultimately decide the final choice.”
A unique aspect of the Talkin’ Broncos team is their collaborative approach to preparation. Since debate topics can involve complex subjects, team members rely on each other’s expertise. “If a topic is science or STEM-oriented, people often ask me for help with those, and it’s always validating to be asked for my opinion or advice.”
Preparation for Debate Events
Preparation for the debate season begins months in advance. Coaching for the current season started in July 2024, allowing team members to refine their skills before the tournament topics are revealed.
“We have six hours of class time a week where we come together and do practices, go over lectures, talk about strategy—all kinds of stuff.”
This preparation is guided by the leadership of Dr. Manda Hicks and Dr. Amy Arellano.
A Look at Different Events
The Talkin’ Broncos participate in both speech and debate events.
“It’s a speech and debate team. There are two sides to the same coin. Debate is obviously half of the equation, but the other half is platform speaking events.”
Sam elaborated on a few different types of speech events:
- Communication Analysis – Using a theory to analyze an artifact’s effectiveness.
- Impromptu Speaking – Competitors have seven minutes to prepare and deliver a speech on a given quote.
- Interpret Events – Competitors act out a story using a transcript of prose, poetry, or drama.
“We all do this. There aren’t people who do only debate or only speech. At this next event, I specifically have six speech events and one debate style.”
Leadership and Team Dynamics
Although Sam did not pursue an official leadership position, they emphasize the collaborative and supportive nature of the team:
“We all trust one another. We have full confidence in one another’s abilities and skills, both as communicators in competition and as people. So I feel like I’m able to lead by example.”
Communication Skills in Computer Science
Sam finds that their debate experience has positively influenced their academic and professional development.
“In my classes, if there is a group presentation, I will be the first to volunteer. Or in discussions, I will ask questions and be very engaging. I am not hesitant to make my voice heard.”
A Memorable Debate Round
One debate round particularly stood out to Sam:
“I was going up against a person from CSI who I had debated against before and I had established a good relationship with. Even though this event can get heated, my debate with this person, we were cracking jokes back and forth in the little downtime between our speeches. Aside from engaging in each other’s arguments, we were having fun with it as well.”
Sam believes this experience highlights the importance of maintaining sportsmanship in debate:
“If you have good chemistry with the person you are going up against, you don’t have to be at each other’s throats.”
Best Advice Received
Throughout their debate journey, Sam has received valuable advice. One piece of wisdom stands out:
“I have received a lot of advice, obviously being on the team as long as I have, but one thing I remember is to be diligent. Keep at it. Even if something is hard, keep focusing, keep working on it, because practicing until you get it right is an accomplishment in and of itself.”
Their mentor once shared a perspective that resonates deeply:
“We do as much as we do so that we don’t get it wrong. Recognizing that you have the ability to do hard things, taking advantage of your strengths, and honing those things that you may not be good at—all these aspects come together to make a good Talkin’ Bronco.”
Encouragement for Prospective Students
For those interested in joining the Talkin’ Broncos, Sam suggests reaching out to team officers or mentors like Dr. Hicks or Dr. Arellano. Additional information can be found on the Boise State Engage page.
A Final Word from Sam
“I want to encourage other CS students and people in STEM to get involved with communication because it is so important for us as scientists to be good scientific communicators. So often, we have all of these super interesting and engaging things that we are doing in computer science labs or in different groups, and a lot of these amazing discoveries are buried in incredibly technical and complex articles. The general public has no idea—they don’t know how to read these things, let alone how to interpret them. It’s not fair to keep all of the cool stuff to ourselves.”