As this forum's call for papers notes, lecture represents one of the more "controversial forms of instructional communication," yet remains a predominant instructional method in academia. Ironically, instructors face increasing pressure to abandon lecture at a time when these classes are popular and students readily enroll in lecture courses. Lecture, like any instructional method, can hinder student learning if improperly executed. Many studies addressing connections between lecture and learning are flawed because researchers failed to control for crucial variables. This brief forum article discusses how, when implemented appropriately, lecture promotes student learning and develops vital skills such as listening and notetaking--skills that are essential to future academic and personal success. [Other articles in this forum include: The Lecture's Absent Audience (EJ1132073); Lecture and Active Learning as a Dialectical Tension (EJ1132004); What Is the Place of Lecture in Student Learning Today? (EJ1132078); Sage on the Stage or Bore at the Board? (EJ1132063); Sound Decision Making about the Lecture's Role in the College Classroom (EJ1132068); Rethinking Lecture-Learning from Communicative Lenses: A Response to Forum Essays (EJ1132088); and The Lecture and the Learning Paradigm (EJ1132080).]