The ______ technique is useful for situations where face-to-face discussions are impractical, when disagreements and conflict may impair communication, and when groupthink is a likely outcome of the group process.

The technique that is useful under the circumstances described—when face-to-face discussions are impractical, when disagreements and conflict are likely to impair communication, and when groupthink is a probable outcome of the group process—is the Delphi method.

The Delphi method is a structured communication technique originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts. The experts answer questionnaires in two or more rounds. After each round, a facilitator provides an anonymous summary of the experts’ forecasts from the previous round as well as the reasons they provided for their judgments. Thus, the experts are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the replies of other members of their panel. The Delphi method can be used in various fields such as forecasting, policy-making, or any other decision-making process where group opinion is necessary but direct confrontation or discussion is not effective or possible. This method helps prevent the effects of groupthink, which occurs when a group of individuals, working in close proximity and often under pressure to make a decision, starts to prioritize consensus at the expense of critical thinking and individual opinions.