--- title: Improving Supervisor Behavior in Conferences canonical: https://telnyx.com/release-notes/improving-supervisor-behavior-conferences --- # Improving Supervisor Behavior in Conferences [Release notes](https://telnyx.com/release-notes) # Improving Supervisor Behavior in Conferences ### 15, Apr 2021 We're updating how supervisor roles interact with mute and hold operations on Call Control Conferences. Currently, participants can join conferences with certain supervisor roles, using the `supervisor_role` parameter of the [join](https://developers.telnyx.com/api/call-control/list-conferences) command. If a participant joins as a **monitor**, that participant is automatically muted and they cannot be heard by other participants on the call. If a participant joins as a **whisper**, that participant is only audible to specific other participants on the call. Currently, supervisor behavior is coupled to the [mute](https://developers.telnyx.com/api/call-control/list-conferences), [unmute](https://developers.telnyx.com/api/call-control/list-conferences), [hold](https://developers.telnyx.com/api/call-control/list-conferences), and [unhold](https://developers.telnyx.com/api/call-control/list-conferences) commands, such that unmuting or unholding a conference supervisor causes them to lose their supervisor role and the associated muting characteristics. **With this change, supervisor behavior will be separate from, and independent of, `mute`, `unmute`, `hold`, and `unhold` commands.** Here is an example to illustrate this new conferencing behavior: ## Example - Muting and Unmuting Conference Monitors 1. **A participant joins a conference with `"supervisor_role" : "monitor"`.** This supervisor role means that the participant is automatically, _implicitly_ muted and cannot be heard by other participants on the call. The `unmute` command will have no effect on this participant under these circumstances, because the muting behavior is handled in the participant's `supervisor_role` property. 2. **The `mute` command is used on this participant.** This introduces another, _separate, explicit_ mute, independent of the participant's supervisor role. The participant is now _muted by two separate properties_: their supervisor role, and the `mute` command. 3. **The participant is updated using the update command with `"supervisor_role" : "barge"`.** Barges are normal conference participants and can be heard by all other participants. However, this participant is _still explicitly muted by the `mute` command which was used in Step 2_, so they cannot be heard by other participants on this conference. 4. **The unmute command is used on this participant.** The participant can now be heard by all other participants in the conference. In this example, there are two separate muting behaviors observed: * An _implicit_ mute, brought upon by the participant's supervisor role. * An _explicit_ mute, brought upon by the `mute` command. Both of these mutes must be removed to make the participant audible to others in the conference. The muting introduced by using a `hold` command to place the participant on hold can also be viewed as an explicit mute, separate from the implicit muting associated with a participant's supervisor role. As such, un-holding a monitor or whisper participant will allow them to hear others, but they will still be muted by their supervisor role. --- This change will take effect on **Monday, April 26, 2021.** If you have questions relating to this change, contact our development team on [Slack](https://joinslack.telnyx.com/) or by chat in the [Mission Control Portal](https://telnyx.com/sign-up). 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