Quick disclaimer: I don’t have a P&S 🙂
Is there any advice you would give to people who own one on how to take good photos in automatic mode?
First off, it’s possible to take amazing pictures in automatic modes, and it’s possible to take horrible pictures in manual mode (I have done both 😀 ). However, using manual mode is ideal because it gives you control on how the pictures come out, rather than the camera having control, therefore increasing the probabilities of ending up with a good picture that you actually like!
So for someone that has a P&S, I think I’d concentrate on teaching them various elements of good composition; you can explain the limitations of a P&S and that if they decide photography is something that they actually want to get into to one degree or another, they will benefit by ultimately investing in a DSLR. But if they don’t want to get into photography, and they’re content to go around snapping pics with a P&S, well at least you’ll have hopefully helped them snap better pics! 😀