Game Guide

How to Play SayRush!

Everything you need to know to rush in, score big, and win. Follow along step by step.

Topics you might get

Jollof rice: Nigeria or Ghana?Best superpower for daily lifeA client says your competitor is 30% cheaper. Respond.Is owambe culture getting out of hand?Defend your most unpopular opinionYou know you're from Brazil when...Pitch the most ridiculous startup ideaTell me about a time you failedAfrobeats or Amapiano - pick one foreverYour team missed a deadline. Address them.Jollof rice: Nigeria or Ghana?Best superpower for daily lifeA client says your competitor is 30% cheaper. Respond.Is owambe culture getting out of hand?Defend your most unpopular opinionYou know you're from Brazil when...Pitch the most ridiculous startup ideaTell me about a time you failedAfrobeats or Amapiano - pick one foreverYour team missed a deadline. Address them.
Best decade for music?You have 60 seconds to pitch a productAliens: real or nah?Convince everyone Japan has the best foodWould you survive a zombie apocalypse?Handle an angry customer who wants a refundThe greatest invention of all timeIs it okay to recline on a plane?What makes Kenya special?Should homework be abolished?Best decade for music?You have 60 seconds to pitch a productAliens: real or nah?Convince everyone Japan has the best foodWould you survive a zombie apocalypse?Handle an angry customer who wants a refundThe greatest invention of all timeIs it okay to recline on a plane?What makes Kenya special?Should homework be abolished?

Step by Step

The Game Flow

Each game follows six phases. Here's what happens at every stage.

  1. 01

    Create or Join

    6-char code

    The host creates a room and gets a unique 6-character code. Friends join by entering the code. Add SayRush to your home screen for the best experience.

  2. 02

    Lobby

    Host configures

    Everyone gathers in the lobby. The host picks a topic category, difficulty, time limit, and number of rounds before starting.

  3. 03

    Prep

    10s countdown

    A random topic is revealed with a dramatic card flip. You get 10 seconds to gather your thoughts before the mic goes live.

  4. 04

    Speak

    30s to 2 min

    Hit record and speak your mind! The timer counts down and when 10 seconds remain it turns red and pulses. You can finish early or let it run out.

  5. 05

    Vote

    45s window

    After each speaker finishes, everyone else rates them on 5 criteria using sliders. You have 45 seconds to submit your vote.

  6. 06

    Results

    Winner crowned

    After all rounds, scores are revealed! See the winner, full leaderboard, detailed AI breakdowns, and fun superlative awards.

Each player takes turns speakingRepeat for all roundsFinal results!

AI Scoring

How AI Scores Your Speech

Your speech is transcribed and analyzed by AI on five criteria. Each is scored 0 to 100 and weighted to produce your AI total.

Relevance

25% weight

How well the speech addresses the assigned topic

78

Structure

25% weight

Clear opening, body, and conclusion

72

Fluency

20% weight

Smooth delivery, natural flow without awkward pauses

65

Filler Words

15% weight

Absence of um, uh, like, and other fillers

82

Confidence

15% weight

Assertive tone, conviction, and presence

58

Score Scale

81-100Excellent
61-80Good
41-60Average
21-40Below Avg
0-20Needs Work

AI Thought Process

Every score comes with an explanation. The AI tells you why you earned each rating, referencing specific moments from your speech so you know exactly where you shined and where to grow.

Example Rationale

“Delivery was mostly smooth with good pacing, but two noticeable pauses mid-sentence when transitioning between points slightly disrupted the flow.”

Personalized Tips

After scoring, the AI gives you encouraging feedback and one specific, actionable tip to improve for your next speech.

Peer Voting

How Your Friends Score You

After each speaker finishes, everyone else rates them on 5 dimensions using sliders from 1 to 10. You have 45 seconds to vote.

Rate the Speaker

1 to 10 each
Clarity8/10

Were their ideas easy to follow?

Confidence7/10

Did they own the room?

Engagement9/10

Did they keep your attention?

Delivery6/10

Smooth speaking, few ums and ahs?

Originality8/10

Surprising takes or creative angles?

How Peer Scores Work

  • 1Each voter rates the speaker on all 5 criteria (1 to 10 per slider)
  • 2The 5 scores are averaged into a single vote score
  • 3All voters' scores are averaged together
  • 4The 1 to 10 average is normalized to 0 to 100 for blending with AI

Fair Play

You can't vote on yourself. Only other players can rate your speech. Each person can only submit one vote per round.

Final Score

How Your Score Is Calculated

Your final score blends the AI analysis with your friends' votes, equally weighted at 50/50.

AI Score

5 criteria, 0 to 100

50%

Peer Votes

5 sliders, 1 to 10, normalized

50%

Combined Score

Your final ranking score

0–100

Players are ranked by cumulative combined score across all rounds. Both AI and peer scores matter equally!

Awards

Superlative Awards

At the end of every game, up to 5 fun awards are given out. Even if you don't win overall, you might snag one of these!

Silver Tongue

Highest total score across all rounds

Smooth Operator

Fewest filler words on average

Crowd Favourite

Highest average peer vote score

Speedster

Fastest average speaking time

Most Improved

Biggest score jump from first to last round

Customization

Game Settings

The host configures everything before the game starts. Here's what you can customize.

Topic Categories

RandomHot TakesAbsurdDebateStorytellingRegionalProfessionalCountries

Topics are drawn randomly from the selected category. No repeats within a game.

Difficulty Levels

Beginner

Simple everyday topics, plenty of prep time

Prep: 10s

Intermediate

Structured arguments, moderate complexity

Prep: 10s

Advanced

Nuanced debate topics, 90s default time

Prep: 10s

Expert

No prep time! Speak immediately on hard topics

Prep: 0s

Time and Rounds

Speaking Time

30s45s60sdefault90s2 min

Number of Rounds

12345

Max Players

2 to 10 players per room

Ready to talk the talk?

Grab your friends, pick a topic, and let the speeches begin.

Create a RoomJoin a Room

Need help or have feedback?

help@sayrush.com