How to Get Help in the Middle of a Hard Call

Some conversations are hard in a way that has nothing to do with the topic. You know the material. You prepared. Then the other person asks something sideways, and for a few seconds your head goes quiet.

Live is for those few seconds.

It's the fourth option on the record button in Minima Do, next to To-do, Meeting and Journal. The other three write things up after you stop talking. Live works while the conversation is still going. It listens, and it drops in short cards: something worth saying, a question worth asking, an action you shouldn't forget.

Like everything in Minima Do, Live comes with Minima Do Pro.

What Live Actually Does

Tap the record button, pick Live, and start it as the conversation begins. From then on Live listens, and every so often a new card appears at the top of the feed. The newest card is always first, so one glance shows you the latest.

Each card carries a small tag that tells you what kind of help it is:

• SAY THIS is a point you could make, often a way to answer what was just said.
• ASK THIS is a question you could ask.
• CAPTURE is an action to take. Something someone agreed to, or a next step that is about to get lost.

The cards are short on purpose. You're in the middle of talking to someone, so each one is a line you can take in at a glance and then look up again.

Where Live Helps

Live earns its place in conversations where the stakes are a bit higher than usual and you can't stop to think. A few examples:

• A pitch, when an investor pushes on the one number you're least sure about.
• A rate or salary conversation, where it's easy to agree too fast.
• A call with an unhappy client, where you need to listen and still leave with a plan.
• A one-to-one with your manager about the thing you've been meaning to raise for weeks.

Say a client tells you, as an example, "Honestly, we're not sure this is working for us." A useful ASK THIS card might read something like "Ask what working would look like by the end of the month." That question turns a vague worry into something you can act on. And if, later in the call, they say "Send me the revised plan by Friday," a CAPTURE card holds onto it while you keep talking.

That's the shape of it. Live stays in the background and keeps a few good options within reach.

Setting Up the Phone

Live listens through your phone, so the phone has to be able to hear the conversation. This is the practical bit people sometimes miss.

In person, put the phone on the table, screen up, where you can see it. On a video call from your laptop, keep the phone next to the laptop and let the sound come from the speakers, loud enough for the phone to pick it up. If the phone can't hear the other person, Live only has your half to work with.

Then leave it flat and in view. You want to notice a new card out of the corner of your eye without picking anything up.

Good Habits During the Call

Tell people when it's appropriate. Live is listening to the conversation, and the other person may reasonably want to know. In many settings a simple "I've got an app listening along to help me keep track" is enough. Use your judgment about the room, and follow the rules and norms where you are.

Glance, then say it your way. The cards are prompts. If you read one out word for word, you'll sound like you're reading. Take the idea and put it in your own words. A card that says "Mention the beta numbers" becomes your own sentence about the beta.

Let some cards go. Not every card fits the moment. Some will cover ground you already covered, and some won't be your style. Ignore them. The feed moves on.

Your judgment comes first. Live hears words. You hear the tone, see the face, and know the history. If a card suggests pressing a point and you can tell the other person needs a minute, give them the minute. They're your conversations, and you know the person across the table far better than any card does.

Keep your eyes up. The best use of Live is a quick look now and then. If you catch yourself staring at the phone, slide it a little further away and come back to the person.

When the Call Ends

Tap Stop. Minima Do asks which cards you want to keep, and you can give the session a title you'll recognize later, like "Rate talk with Dana" or "Pitch practice, round two."

Pick the cards worth keeping and save. Here's where they go:

• Kept CAPTURE cards become to-dos on your To-dos list, so "send the revised plan by Friday" is waiting there with everything else you have to do.
• The other cards you kept stay in the Live section as a saved session. That's handy when you want to remember the points you made or the questions that worked.

If you discard instead, nothing is kept. That's fine too. Some conversations you only want help with in the moment.

A Note on Privacy

Live audio is never stored. What stays afterward is only what you chose to keep: the saved cards and the to-dos that came from them.

The rest of Minima Do works the same way. There are no ads and no tracking, your data is never sold, and the app asks for your permission before any AI processing happens.

Try It Somewhere Easy First

The first time you use Live shouldn't be the hardest call of your year. Try it on something with nothing riding on it, like a practice run of your pitch with a friend, or a routine catch-up with a colleague who knows what you're testing. You'll get a feel for how often cards arrive, how short they are, and how quickly you can glance down and get back to talking.

After a couple of runs, a glance at Live feels like checking a few notes on the table, ones that keep writing themselves.

Getting Started

Live is part of Minima Do Pro, along with to-dos by voice, meeting notes and a private journal, on iPhone and iPad. Get Minima Do on the App Store. New subscribers can start with a free week when their Apple Account is eligible, which is enough time to try Live on a practice call before the real one.