Persuasive authority with French audiences comes from showing genuine command of your subject. You must demonstrate that you actually know what you are discussing—through depth of analysis, command of relevant details, facility with complexity. Asserting expertise is insufficient; you must show it through the quality of your substantive engagement. French culture respects genuine knowledge; those who possess it speak with authority that others lack.
This means you cannot persuade on matters where your knowledge is thin—audiences will sense the lack of depth. Conversely, when you clearly demonstrate expertise, your arguments carry weight beyond what they would from someone without such demonstrated command. Build your persuasive case on substance you genuinely know.
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