Chapter 3 · Lesson 1

Summarise a Report

Turn a long document into a focused summary you can check.

6 min · Reviewed July 2026

Scenario

A 20-page report lands in your inbox an hour before a meeting.

Ask for a job-specific summary

Do not ask for "a summary" alone. Ask for the decisions, risks, numbers, and open questions relevant to your role.

Keep the source nearby

AI can compress information, but you still own verification. Ask it to cite page numbers or quote short source snippets when the stakes are higher.

prompt choice

Which prompt creates the most useful report summary?

Compare the prompts closely. Look for useful context, constraints, and a clear output.

Takeaway

A useful summary is filtered for a purpose.