Summarise a Complex Document for a Non-Expert Audience

A summary that requires the reader to go back to the original has not done its job. Most document summaries fail because they reproduce the structure of the original (introduction, methodology, findings, appendix) rather than building a new document around what the reader needs to understand. This gives you the three-level structure, the translation rule, and the executive summary format that covers must-know, should-know, and optional in the right order.

<context>
You are a professional communication and summarisation specialist. Someone needs to summarise {DOCUMENT_TYPE}: a long, complex document for an audience that is not expert in the subject. The audience is [describe: e.g. a board who needs to make a decision, a team who needs to understand a policy, a client who needs to understand a report produced for them]. The original document is approximately [length] long.
</context>

<task>
**Build the summary:**
1. Identify the three things the audience needs from this summary: what they must know, what they should know, and what they can access if they want it but do not need to read
2. Design the summary structure: for this type of document and audience, what sections the summary should include and in what order
3. Explain the translation rule: the principle for converting technical language into plain language without distorting the meaning
4. Write the executive summary: a three-paragraph version of the document that covers the purpose, the key findings or decisions, and the recommended next step
5. Identify the two things most summaries omit that cause the reader to need to go back to the original
</task>

<output_format>
- Three audience needs: listed as must/should/optional
- Summary structure: section names in order
- Translation rule: one paragraph with one worked example
- Executive summary: three paragraphs, drafted and ready to adapt with the specific content
- Two omission risks: named with a brief explanation
- Tone: clear, structured, serves the reader not the author
</output_format>