Back
Relationships · Connection

Bids for Connection

Gottman — the tiny moments that build (or erode) a relationship

TherapistAssist
therapistassist.app

A bid is any move toward connection — a question, a look, a sigh, a "did you see this?". Couples who last respond to bids about 86% of the time. Couples who drift, 33%. It's not the fights. It's the bids.

Turn Toward

Acknowledge. Engage. Even a small ‘mm’ counts.

Turn Away

Miss it. Distracted, busy, on the phone. No malice — just absence.

Turn Against

Snap, criticize, mock. The bid is met with a wall.

This week's bid tracker

Note 6 bids you noticed — from them, from you. Mark how each one was met.

Bidder
The bid
Toward / Away / Against

A bid I missed

No blame. Just notice — and consider what a small turn toward could have looked like.

A bid I want to make this week

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

  • Gottman, J. M., & Silver, N. (2015). The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work (rev. ed.). Harmony.
© 2026 TherapistAssist · For clinical use · Not a substitute for assessment
Option One

Get the Bids for Connection

Print-ready PDF. Instant download — no account needed. We email you a copy too.

This sheet only. Unsubscribe anytime.

Option Two

Or send it to your client

Every worksheet, plus 80 interactive tools your client opens on their phone. No app. No login.

  • Their response lands in your dashboard
  • Unlimited worksheet downloads
Start 7-day trial

$20/mo after · cancel in one click

Same clinical territory — free to view, print, or send to a client.