Roles in Video Conferences: Moderator and Participant
This page explains in detail what moderators and participants can do in a Sparks video conference.
Sprache / Language: Deutsch
Role Overview
| Role | Who | Rights |
|---|
| Moderator | Meeting organizer or assigned moderators | All participant rights + controls, recording, breakout rooms, participant management |
| Participant | Everyone else in the meeting | Camera, microphone, screen, reactions, raise hand, chat, Q&A, polls, whiteboard |
All Participants Can
Audio and Video
| Function | Description |
|---|
| Camera on/off | Enable or disable own video |
| Mute microphone | Turn audio on or off |
| Switch devices | Select camera, microphone, speaker (via More menu) |
| Background effects | Blur or custom image; background detection (Auto/GPU/CPU) is often available in the same place (see Join Meeting) |
Screen Share
- Entire screen: Share complete monitor view
- Window: Share only a specific application window
- Browser tab: Share only one tab (web version)
- Stop sharing: "Stop sharing" button
| Function | Description |
|---|
| Chat | Send messages to all (when meeting is linked to Matrix room) |
| Q&A | Ask questions; moderators answer; everyone sees answers |
| Polls | Participate in polls – vote (only moderators create) |
| Participants | Show/hide participant list |
| Raise hand | Raise or lower hand – to get attention |
| Reactions | Emoji reactions (thumbs up, heart, laugh, etc.) – visible to all |
| View | Switch between Gallery (grid of all participants) and Speaker (active speaker large) |
| Whiteboard | Open and use collaborative whiteboard (Excalidraw) |
| Leave meeting | Exit the meeting |
Participant List
- View all participants
- Speaker statistics (who spoke how long), if available
- Pin own video: Fix own video in view (own view only)
- Pin participant (moderators only – see below)
Live captions and live transcription
| Participant | Moderator |
|---|
| See live captions (on-screen subtitles) | ✓ when a transcription session is active | ✓ |
| Use the transcript side panel (running/full text) | ✓ when segments or an active session exist | ✓ |
| Start / stop live transcription (server-side STT / transcriber) | – | ✓ (only if org policy and server allow) |
Organization / consent: Depending on policy, recording or live transcription may require confirmation (and sign-in). This is controlled by your organization in team settings, not by a toggle in the client alone.
Shared view
Moderators can present Q&A, Polls, or the whiteboard so that everyone sees the same full-screen view. Non-moderators usually get a read-only experience (follow along), not moderator controls.
Additionally: Moderators Can
Breakout Rooms
| Action | Description |
|---|
| Create rooms | Create multiple breakout rooms (e.g. "Room 1", "Room 2") |
| Assign participants | Assign participants manually or automatically (e.g. evenly) |
| Open rooms | Send participants to their breakout rooms |
| Close rooms | Bring everyone back to main meeting |
| Switch between rooms | As moderator, join breakout rooms to support |
Typical flow: Group work → Create breakout rooms → Assign participants → Open rooms → Recall everyone after time.
| Function | Description |
|---|
| Recording | Record meeting (requires server setup, e.g. recording export pipeline) |
| Meeting timer | Show countdown or stopwatch (e.g. for breaks, time limits) |
| Other controls | Depending on configuration (e.g. lobby, waiting room) |
Participant Management (Moderators)
| Action | Description |
|---|
| Pin | Pin a participant's video for everyone in gallery view |
| Spotlight | Spotlight participant for all – large in center as "speaker" |
| Remove participant | Eject someone from the meeting (disruption or policy violation) |
| Force mute | Mute participant (if supported by setup) |
| Disable camera | Turn off participant's camera (if supported) |
Polls
- Moderators: Create polls – set question and options, publish, close
- Participants: Vote only – cannot create polls
Q&A
- All: Ask questions
- Moderators: Answer questions; answers visible to all
- Moderators may prioritize or mark questions as answered (per implementation)
Summary: Overview Table
| Function | Participant | Moderator |
|---|
| Camera on/off | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mute microphone | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screen share | ✓ | ✓ |
| Background effects | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Q&A – ask questions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Q&A – give answers | – | ✓ |
| Polls – participate | ✓ | ✓ |
| Polls – create | – | ✓ |
| Raise hand | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Switch view (Gallery/Speaker) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Use whiteboard | ✓ | ✓ |
| Show participant list | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pin own view | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pin participant for all | – | ✓ |
| Spotlight participant | – | ✓ |
| Remove participant | – | ✓ |
| Create and manage breakout rooms | – | ✓ |
| Start recording | – | ✓ |
| Meeting timer | – | ✓ |
| Live captions / transcript panel (while transcription is running) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Start/stop live transcription | – | ✓ |
| Leave meeting | ✓ | ✓ |
Who Is a Moderator?
- Default: The meeting organizer (who created/started the meeting) is moderator
- Additional moderators: Depending on configuration, more participants can be designated as moderators (e.g. via calendar invitation or meeting setup)
- 1:1 calls: No moderator/participant role – both have the same rights
Requirements for Specific Functions
| Function | Requirement |
|---|
| Chat, Q&A, Polls | Meeting must be linked to Matrix room |
| Recording | Server-side setup (e.g. recording export) required |
| Breakout rooms | Moderator role |
| Transcripts | Server setup for speech recognition |
| E2EE | For 1:1, enabled in Privacy; for meetings depends on setup – recording/transcription not available with E2EE |
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