LinkedIn Round Robin

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Exchange targeted peer feedback on professional profile headlines and summaries to identify practical improvements.

Use it when: Use in professional development, career planning, or team onboarding sessions where participants want peer review of their digital professional bios.

Skip it when: Skip when participants do not use professional networking platforms, when organizational compliance forbids external social media access, or when participants require complete privacy regarding external online identity.

Group arrangement: Form groups of 3 or 4. If total attendance leaves remainders, form groups of 2, 3, or 4 to ensure everyone participates, prioritizing triads and quartets (for example, 5 divides into one pair and one triad; 6 into two triads; 7 into one triad and one quartet). Up to two individual contributions fit the whole-room debrief.

Timing: The source lists 5 to 15 minutes. This run sheet uses the full 15 minutes to guarantee structured review turns for every person.

Materials and tools

• Internet-connected smartphone or laptop per participant
• Scratch paper and pen per participant
• Visible room timer
• Print or digital copies of the Sample Profile Sheet for participants opting out of sharing personal accounts

Before participants arrive

1. Verify reliable room internet or Wi-Fi.
2. Have the Sample Profile Sheet printed or accessible digitally for participants choosing not to share personal accounts.

Say this to open

Today we will take fifteen minutes to examine how our professional profiles read to an outside viewer. In small groups, each person will have a timed turn to receive feedback on their headline and summary. If you prefer not to share your personal account, use the neutral sample profile on your sheet or act as a reviewer for your partners.

How to run it

1. Form groups and share links 2 minutes

   Say the opening script. Form groups of 3 or 4 (or pairs if numbers require). Group members exchange names and share their public profile links via device screens, local chat, or messaging. Participants who decline to share personal accounts take the Sample Profile Sheet.

2. Run round-robin profile reviews 6 minutes

   Start a 6-minute total timer. Group members take concurrent turns. For pairs and triads, allow two minutes per person; for quartets, allow ninety seconds per person. Call out turn time marks. Reviewers state what role stands out immediately and what detail is missing. The profile owner takes private notes on scratch paper.

3. Compare in-person and digital presence 4 minutes

   In the same groups, discuss these questions: How does your digital profile differ from how you present yourself in person? What is one specific sentence or phrase you will update this week?

4. Debrief takeaways 3 minutes

   Call the room back together. Invite two volunteers to share one specific change they plan to make to their profile headline or summary.

Debrief questions

• What was the most noticeable difference between someone's in-person presence and their profile?
• What is one specific headline or summary tweak that made an immediate improvement?

Finished output: Each participant drafts at least one concrete revision to their professional headline or summary, or completes review notes on the sample profile.

Remote

Assign breakout rooms of 3 or 4 participants. Group members paste their public profile links or the sample profile text into the breakout chat. Facilitator broadcasts time warnings for each review turn. Reconvene in the main room for debrief.

Hybrid

Form separate all-remote breakout groups and all-in-person small groups. Remote participants post profile links in breakout chat; in-person groups show screens or pass phone displays. Both follow identical turn timers and debrief prompts.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may opt out of sharing their personal profile and instead review the provided sample profile or serve as a non-sharing peer reviewer.
• Participants may keep their written notes private and listen without speaking during the whole-room debrief.

If the session gets stuck

A participant has no profile or prefers not to display personal accounts to peers.

Hand them the Sample Profile Sheet so the group reviews the neutral sample during their turn, or let them serve solely as a reviewer.

Poor internet connection prevents loading external social sites.

Have the participant write their current headline and summary on scratch paper or read it aloud for group review.

Terms used here

• Headline: The short professional summary line immediately under an account holder's name.
• Public profile: The view of an online account that external viewers can see without private administrative access.