Nikon 1 J2 - which mode/settings work best when shooting a group of people?

Also I would really appreciate it if someone would give me some tips on how to get the best results when shooting people or objects in low-light conditions (e.g.fluorescent lighting - I HATE THE YELLOW/ORANGE TINGE, (flash does help but not always). I would also appreciate some tips when using a tripod, too.

Your camera should have a ' white balance ' setting to correct the yellow / orange tinge.
Bear in mind this is a EVIL camera: electronic viewfinder interchangeable lens. It can only do so much. There are limitations on the conditions you can shoot in with the stock lens.

The J2 has a color balance setting.

From the "shooting" menu (icon with a camrea), go to White Balance, then set it to the desired lighting conditions:

Auto
Incandescent
Fluorescent
Direct sunlight
Flash
Cloudy
Shade
PRE (custom setting)

And with any of these settings, you can fine tune them to anything you want.