Spelling Strategy

In this lesson, you will learn more about a very special strategy that has been successfully used for years – the Spelling Strategy According to Robert Dilts. You are now familiar with macro and micro strategies – now you will get to know one of the most practical applications of them.

Correct spelling is a fundamental skill that not all people naturally possess. Even intelligent individuals who learn foreign languages quickly can have difficulties with spelling. From an NLP perspective, however, spelling does not depend on a "spelling gene," but rather on the inner cognitive strategy, that someone uses. Difficulties in spelling are therefore not a sign of stupidity or laziness, but rather an expression of an ineffective mental program.

Robert Dilts used spelling as an example of a simple, well-verifiable mental strategy. He found that good spellers usually look up and to the left when recalling the correct spelling of a word – a hint at "visually remembered" information. When asked, many did not know exactly how they spelled correctly – they said: "I just feel that it looks right." From this, Dilts recognized the connection between the visual and kinesthetic systems: The image evokes a feeling of correctness.

Weak spellers on the other hand, used completely different strategies, without a consistent pattern. Therefore, Dilts gave them the following exercise: They should look up and to the left when learning a difficult word and visualize the word in their mind's eye. Then he had them generate a positive feeling – e.g., a feeling of familiarity –, to subsequently associate this with the word image. Thus, the word was "anchored" with a pleasant feeling instead of with effort or frustration.

People automatically remember things better that are associated with positive emotions. Thus, students who had spelling problems for years could suddenly spell confidently and also remember difficult words. To further solidify the word image, Dilts had the words additionally spell forwards and backwards.

Dilts structured the strategy according to the T.O.T.E. model (Test – Operate – Test – Exit). Initially, it is checked whether a familiar visual image is present. If not, a three-step process follows:

• Generate a positive feeling and anchor it with the sight of the correct letter sequence.
• Look up and to the left and visually retrieve the correct spelling.
• Spell the word backwards to solidify the inner visualization.

For long words or unclear letters, Dilts recommended two methods: Division into letter groups or Change of submodalities – such as brighter letters, favorite colors, or "writing the letters in the air."

Studies in the USA confirmed the success of this method. In a study at the University of Utah, students using the NLP spelling strategy improved their performance by 20–25 % – with nearly perfect retention rates. A comparison group that only used an auditory rule strategy showed a 15% performance increase, but a decline in retention performance. This demonstrates the clear superiority of the visual NLP spelling strategy.

Spelling is a specific mental ability influenced by deeper psychological processes such as beliefs or the Identity . Therefore, it is helpful to provide students with a supportive belief statement, such as: "If you can spell difficult words forwards and backwards, simple words will come easily to you." Good spellers view their ability as part of their identity – while weak spellers often think: "I constantly make mistakes, that's just how it is." The trainer's task is to change this belief framework so that spelling is associated with success and confidence.