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Theresa May is skating on thin ice. More than ever, she needs to convey a sense of leadership and look and act like a Prime Minister. She may well be on borrowed time. In the short term she needs to radically rethink her media strategy, which was lacklustre at best during the election

These are the six things she needs to do to survive in the short term:

She is naturally media-shy, but needsto be on the airwaves moreto reassure the public and the party far more than she was before the election.

And we need to see her out doing more regional visits something she shunned before the election. This is crucial to remaining in touch with public sentiment andappearing in the regional media. Control events before they control you. The more she does, hopefully the better she will get at it.

Use them, and use a cross-section that reflect modern Britain on TV. She needs to demonstrate she is being collegiate. The more ministers she gets out, the more she can convey that she has the backing of the party. And their needs to be a good mix of Brexiters and Remainerswhich speak to the public.

She also needs young faces on broadcast outlets to reach out to an energised younger audience who Labour so effectively connected with. An absence of this will fuel a narrative of a government at drift and in chaos.

Its more important than ever to convey a sense of stability to the rest of the world, which will be wondering whats goingon here.

The questions around the world will be: Is the UK stable? Should I work there? Should I invest?

She needs to do more international media, and there must be a concerted briefing operation. Similarly, she needs to do a big foreign visit soon to show its business as usual and that we are still being taken seriously on the global stage.

She needs to convey a coalition of support from the business community and other interest groups. This was severely lacking during the election it was widely rumoured that her aides didnt like using them. Number 10 needs to secure the support of prominent third parties in the business sectorlike the CBI and BCC to be out and about in the media making the case for the UK as Brexit negotiations progress.

Let May be May? The more she talked, the less people liked her or listened during the election. This is the big headache. She needs to emotionally connect with the public and address her mistakes and with the party.

We saw the beginning of this on Monday night when she said to the party Ive got us into this mess, I will get us out of it. For her, this is the biggest ask and toughest challenge. She needs to connect with people but remain authentic. If she isnt, the public will see straight through her.

May needs to show that her premiership is not solely defined by Brexit. She needs a radical domestic agenda to convey a sense of momentum here and abroad. Governments often run out of ideas and energy. She needs to show she is fizzing with innovative policies.

Giles Kenningham was director of Communications for the Conservative Party for the 2015 campaign. He now runs a PR consultancy Trafalgar Strategy http://www.trafalgar-strategy.co.uk

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Former Tory communications director: Theresa May must do these six things to survive - iNews