Travis, sorry, I was late on this one. P&S's at night - you don't have many choices. Basically flash or no pics. Some don't come with the "bulb" setting where the shutter stays open until you close it. Not many P&S's have even a 1 sec shutter speed. That is slow, and definitely a speed you will have to use a tripod on - but then the subject may not sit still for one second. P&S's aren't generally good low light cameras either. The amount of light coming through those small lenses just doesn't do the job generally - one of the reasons they generally have built in flashes - you need it more often.
If the question you have is how to have better results from the flash - then you are limited in possibilities also. The number one best thing that can make flash photos better is to have the flash as far away from the center line axis of the lens. That is why you see those pros, probably like the guy who shot your wedding using those brackets with the flash up and over to the side. But since it is a fixed position flash unless yours has a synch cord plug, you are stuck with that flash, unless you go to the trouble and expense of carrying and setting up remote slave flash units. Not good for snapshots. The flash on the camera is too direct - so harsh shadows are prevalent, especially in a close up. The farther from the flash the subject is the less prominent the harsh shadows will be, but then you have a tiny object in the picture. finding some way to diffuse the flash will help some. Perhaps you stick some diffuse tape (not clear) tape over the flash or tape some sort of material or plastic (white garbage bag, beer bottle held in front of the flash or a potato chip!) over the flash will help diffuse the flash. Another way is to bounce the flash off something like the ceiling - but not possible unless you can tilt the flash some other direction than that which the camera is pointing. What the P&S flash is good at doing, and they do an excellent job quite often is fill-in flash. This will be a photo take during the day where the subject is in shade, but the background is lighter. Most cameras will render this as a more or less washed out background with a silhouette for a subject. - unless you use the flash. The flash and the camera's logorithms will compensate and correctly expose both the subject and the background.
Good technique would be
1. Not have your subject not too far away or too close. P&S Flashes generally don't reach out much over 10 feet and less that say 3 or 4 feet, they overpower the shot. They are usually not very wide in effectiveness, they will not light a whole room or anything 15 feet behind the subject.
2. Don't put your subject in front of something that will show the harsh shadow.
3. As Mike said set the ISO to low - 100 is good.
4. Make sure your subject is perpendicular to the lens center line axis. Say if a fish is slanting away from the camera, the closest part of the fish will be correctly exposed, but the light will fall off as it goes back down the fish - and the farthest part of the fish will be darker.
5. Diffuse the flash somehow. This will lessen the power of the light, but you should be ok out to 8' or so feet.
6. Some cameras have a night flash or slow synch setting - generally this is a slower shutter speed and should be used only on still or very slow moving subjects. Best results will be with the use of a tripod also.
7. Use a tripod - yes they are a pain, but they are the number one thing that anyone can use for better photography. If you have a slow shutter speed option, a still subject and a tripod - generally better pics are had rather than using flash.
8. If no tripod, set the camera on something solid. Many P&S shooter hold their camera out in front of them with one hand or with both hands. All that does is make you look like a bird flapping its wings. You cannot hold the cameral steady while it is out in front of you. Bring the danged thing up to your eye. Holding it up against your face helps in steadying.
9. If the pic is underexposed (dark) that is great, a photoediting program like Picasa, Iphoto, on up to the very expensive CS4 can lighten it up and bring out details. If overexposed (washed out/very bright) the detail has been lost and can't be brought out by even CS4.
10. Don't waste your time using the flash for anything over 15' out or so. Really you need to find the limit of your camera's flash. Past it's range it is useless. I heard this stupid myth more than once: I'm using the flash from the nose-bleed section, because it helps by lighting up the air". Just shake your head and walk away, that guy probably sucks his thumb and wets his bed also. The only "air" is might light up is fog, and then you would only see the fog.
