Examples of Poor Communication With This Phrase:

· Snap out of it.

· Come on, snap out of it and get with it.

· Snap out of it and pay attention.

 Explanation:

This is almost identical to “Pull yourself together”.  It’s like a verbal slap across the face, something you find in old movies, where the hero snaps the other person back to “reality” with a good slap. OK. It’s not a physical slap, but it’s the verbal equivalent.

As with “pull yourself together” the only place this has in constructive conversation is if there’s an urgent situation — for example, in an emergency, if a person seems frozen and you need to get them to act IMMEDIATELY.

It’s a command, so it tends to provoke argument, and it’s not helpful in day to day conversation.

 Make It Better:

· Mary, you seem distracted. Is there something on your mind?

· Jack, I know you’re upset. Take a few deep breaths.

In an emergency:

· Gail, snap out of it. There’s a fire. Get moving out the door.