"Actions contain metadata which nominate 3rd party actors as trustworthy at that time. 3rd party actors prove their trustworthiness via Proof of Work challenges. Trustworthy actors can then have influence on conflicts and arrive at a majority solution."
That was such ambiguous, long winded terminology, it was almost an exact recreation of the Conan O'Brien Bitcoin clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd19SboRhVYI would just call it an automated reputation protocol then go on to explain details from there.
How is it ambiguous? It provides a complete, clear explanation of what it does and how.
Can you explain POW or POS in as many words?
"Bitcoin is secured by a Proof of Work algorithm whereby actors attempt to solve a cryptographic puzzle. The POW challenges are of varying difficulty depending on actor participation to ensure that challenges are not solved too quickly and that conflicting solutions are rare. The first solver of the puzzle has the right to modify the state of the ledger. The process repeats."
Thats about the best I can do.