If you don't understand bounce flash, you're in good company. Most of the folks I see shooting around New York don't seem to understand flash photography at all, much less the benefits of bounce and how to do it right. 

Canon wants to make flash more approachable, starting with the biggest problems. It wants you to be able to easily use it without creating ugly hotspots, harsh shadows or uneven exposures. You know, the main reasons people don't like to use a flash.

Bouncing flash simply means reflecting the light off a nearby surface, which (depending upon the surface texture) diffuses it so it falls more evenly and softly on the subject. Finding the right angle takes experience as well as trial and error, as well as manually rotating the head if you switch between vertical and horizontal.