Augmind StudioQuestions parents ask
The questions we get before a family writes to us. If yours isn't here, it goes in the note on the form — a person reads every one.
What is Augmind Studio, exactly?
An online speaking school. We teach speech & debate to students in grades 4–12 (the program is called Future Voices), coach students one-on-one at any grade, and run a self-serve practice product for adults called The Hot Seat. We also build the software our coaches teach on — it's ours, not licensed from someone else.
Is this an “AI tutor”?
No. A coach teaches every session and signs every report. The software drafts the first pass of each report against the coaching rubric, quotes the student's exact words as evidence, keeps the progress trend, and gives instant feedback on practice takes between sessions. Nothing it writes reaches your family until a coach has read, edited where needed, and signed it. How we teach →
Can we try before we write to you?
Yes. The free speaking check takes one minute of your child speaking, shows you the five-dimension report our coaches grade with on the spot, and a coach adds a note by email within a day. No account, no card. Take the free speaking check →
Who are the coaches?
Working speech & debate coaches, teaching from the program's own session plans. We don't publish coach profiles on the site. Before you commit to anything, we tell you exactly who your child's coach will be, and you can talk to them first.
What ages and levels do you take?
Grades 4–12, from a student who has never volunteered to read aloud to one who already competes. Beginners usually start in Foundations or one-on-one; students with a tournament on the calendar go to competition prep; younger students almost always start one-on-one. Adults use The Hot Seat, which needs no coach and no signup.
How much does it cost?
Tuition depends on the program and format, so we share it in our reply — alongside the recommendation, before you commit to anything. No card, no deposit, no pressure to decide on the spot. The Hot Seat's Pressure Test is free; its 7-Day Sprint is a single one-time price, shown before you pay.
What happens to my child's recordings?
They're seen by your child's coach and by your family through your private link — nobody else. Audio and video are deleted 90 days after a class's last session, or sooner if you ask; withdrawing consent deletes them. Nothing appears on this site or anywhere public without a parent's written permission, and recordings are never used to train models.
How much time does it take at home?
One recording per session — usually one to two minutes of speaking, fifteen to thirty minutes with prep — on a laptop or tablet with a camera. Practice between sessions is optional and capped per day. Everything happens in the browser; nothing to install.
What do I actually see as a parent?
After every session: a report with a score on each coaching dimension, written comments, and one thing to work on next; the recording, with comments pinned to the exact moments; and a trend line across the program. It arrives by email with a private link — no account, no app.
Can my child compete?
Yes, and many do. The sequence leads into school speech and debate clubs, NSDA-affiliated tournaments, and our own competition prep. But the order is deliberate: skills first, competition as the outlet — not as the hook.
We're not in the US. Can we join?
One-on-one, yes: it runs on your family's schedule and starts from your child's actual English. Group times are set for US families, and we don't schedule children at 3am. Families in mainland China have a page of their own, in Chinese, with the one-on-one track and WeChat contact. 中国大陆家庭请看这里 →
What's the difference between speech and debate — and which should my child start with?
Speech events are one student, prepared or impromptu — Original Oratory, Declamation, Storytelling, Impromptu — judged on delivery, structure, and content. Debate is two sides arguing a set resolution against each other, judged on argument and rebuttal. Most students in grades 4–8 start with speech: it builds the delivery and structure that debate assumes you already have, and a nervous student gets a first win sooner. A student who already argues for sport can start in debate. Foundations teaches both bases; tell us which way your child leans.
How is this different from a debate academy?
Three things. Every student speaks in every session — groups are capped so that stays true, and nobody sits through a lecture. Every recording comes back with a written, coach-signed report against the same rubric, with the student's own words quoted as evidence, so you see the work, not a summary. And there's a free speaking check before you ever write to us. We also don't sell seats in a package: where a student starts is a person's reply to your note.
What does the first month look like?
You write to us and hear back within a day with a recommended starting place, schedule options, and tuition. Once a group has its families, sessions start — usually once a week. After each session your child records one take at home; once the coach has signed the report, you get an email with it and a private link to the recording and the trend line. By the fourth session you can already see whether it's working.
Does this prepare my child for FBLA or DECA?
The speaking half, yes — not the business half. FBLA's speaking events and DECA's role-plays and presentations are judged on exactly what we practice: structure without a script, clarity, answering the question the judge actually asked, and staying steady when they follow up. We don't teach the content side — case knowledge, the written tests, or the official scoring sheets; that's your child's adviser and the official materials. If your child has a specific event and a date, one-on-one coaching can work through it against that event's judging criteria. Tell us the event and the date →
I run a program or a school. Can we use your software?
Not as a product right now — we build it for our own classrooms and that's where it runs. If you run a program and want to talk anyway, write to hi@augmindstudio.com and a person will answer.
Still deciding? Tell us about your student.
We reply within a day with a recommended starting place, the schedule options, and the tuition. Nothing to decide today.