Introduction

The Reorder Speakers feature lets event organizers manually control the order in which speakers appear on stage. This creates predictable, consistent speaker placement for moderators, keynote speakers, and panel leaders, instead of automatically reordering speakers based on who is talking. The feature is rolling out and may be enabled via a feature flag.

How It Works

• When multiple speakers are on stage, organizers can manually set their display order. 
• Once enabled, that order stays fixed across stage layouts such as Grid, Left of Screen, and Under Screen. 
• In Left of Screen and Under Screen, organizers can also choose to show only the active speaker. 
• In Split Screen, active speaker mode is always on.

Step-by-Step Guide to Reordering Speakers

The following are the steps to reorder speakers:

1. Navigate to the Stage area during your event.
2. Click the Reorder button in the bottom-right Backstage area of your screen.
3. Drag and drop speakers into the desired order.
4. Click Done to save.

The stage updates immediately to reflect the new speaker order.

When Happens When Speakers Join the Stage

• New speakers appear in their assigned positions. For example, if speakers 1 and 3 are already on stage, and speaker 2 joins, they will appear between 1 and 3. 
• Speakers do not automatically move to the top when they start speaking.

Active Speaker Mode

You can still enable Show Active Speaker if desired:

• When Show Active Speaker is ON in Left of Screen and Under Screen mode, only the currently speaking person is shown beside the screen share.
• When Show Active Speaker is OFF, all speakers remain visible in the selected order.
• When Show Active Speaker is ON in Grid mode, speakers cannot be reordered and are shown in a random order to viewers. Please note that speaking users are not promoted to the first position.

Important Behavior Change

With Reorder Speakers enabled:

• Speakers are no longer automatically promoted when they begin talking.
• If more speakers are on stage than can fit in view, 
  • Viewers may need to scroll to see additional speakers.
  • Organizers must manually reorder speakers to change visibility.

This behavior is intentional and designed to reduce distracting layout changes.

When to Use Reorder Speakers

This feature is useful when:

• You want a moderator or keynote speaker to stay in a fixed position.
• You want a stable, predictable stage layout.
• Automatic reordering feels distracting for the audience.